Tethered
by TheCorviter
Summary: Jareth and Sarah find themselves unable to be further than 5 feet away from each other. While suspicious of Jareth being directly involved, Sarah has no solid proof, but knows not to trust the tricky Fey. And Jareth, well, he's just trying to help her realize what's right in front of her. Rating upped for language.
1. Chapter 1

Sarah closed her eyes and wished, sending out her most sincere hope with every fiber of her being. Cracking one eye open she looked. Nope, still there. Sighing she closed her eyes again- closed them so tight that her nose wrinkled with the effort. Maybe if she mouthed the words it would work! She wouldn't give him the satisfaction of hearing her wish (even though she had no doubt that he could read lips). And she knew he was watching her.

Taking a deep breath, she wished again. If possible, with even more feeling as before- every fiber concentrated tenfold. Opening her eyes again she looked.

"Damnit," she cursed through clenched teeth. Still there.

"You could always try the door again. That was fun." Came the amused voice from across the room.

She scowled in its direction. The door had not been fun. The instant she had discovered that they were untethered here, she made a break for freedom, and as soon as her toes crossed the threshold, the unseen cord snapped and pulled her back. Landing hard on her rear, Sarah sat stunned for a moment before giving a very unladylike temper tantrum.

And he had seen it all- amusement dancing in his dual colored eyes and in a quirk of upturned lips. Surprisingly, he hadn't laughed at her.

Instead Jareth's laughter came later as they were lying side by side in his bed. Not too kindly, Sarah punched his shoulder to punish his mirth. She wanted to do more, but figured that keeping him alive was to her benefit. She could always kill him later- after this was over.

Unfortunately for her, the violence made him laugh all the harder. Huffing, she took one of her pillows, shoved it in between them as a makeshift barrier, shot him another baleful look, and turned away.

She shook herself out of her ruminations and started pacing, deep in a new train of thought. "No, I shall not be using the door again." She absentmindedly rubbed her backside at the memory and cast her eyes around the chamber. "There must be something." Sarah had tried everything she could think of to get the wretched thing off water, soap, shampoo, even holding it over a lit candle to see if the heat would make it expand. Nothing worked.

Sarah's green eyes lit with an idea and she paused mid-step. _Oil,_ she thought. _Some kind of oil or a lubricant- that might work, but there wasn't any here, was there_? Striding towards the bed she rummaged through the small built in bookshelf on the wall next to it. It held a variety of her things: books, an empty teacup that was forgotten when their meal had been cleared earlier, hair ties, earplugs (Jareth snored terribly whenever he dealt with a Runner earlier in the day), a sleep mask to block out the blazing light of the often full moon, a sock, and a deck of cards.

Nope, nothing here to help. But another possibility flew into her head. Stepping neatly around the books and notes spread upon the rug around her, Sarah dashed off to his side- to examine his matching bookshelf. More books- in lettering that she couldn't begin to decipher, a watch, a few of his damned crystals, and… bits of string.

She looked up from her perusal, eyebrow raised in question knowing he was watching her.

"Threads of time," he replied to the unasked question.

"Ah." She went back to looking, careful not to disturb them. There, tucked partially behind a book was a small marble jar. Sitting on his side of the bed (she noticed it wasn't as hard has her side. She'd have to ask about that), and unscrewed the lid. Inside was a purple viscous looking goo.

Booted heels started towards her, and Jareth smirked knowing what she was going to do. "It's not going to work you know," he said as sat beside her.

"How is it you know ALL the things that won't work but you know nothing of what will?" she asked shooting him a dirty look.

He was getting tired of those looks.

Jareth eyed the unassuming bracelet on Sarah's left wrist. It was a delicate band made of silver, inlaid with a repeated golden carving mimicking the shape of amulet that hung around his neck. Jareth's own bracelet was securely wrapped around his right wrist. It wasn't as dainty as hers (who had ever heard of the Goblin King wearing anything dainty?), and the design matched Sarah's but the metals were switched- gold where hers was silver.

Still, they complimented each other, and anyone who saw the bracelets knew that theirs was a matched set.

"I've told you before. I'm not omnipotent. Besides, _we_ wouldn't be in this mess if _you_ hadn't touched it." He said tapping her bracelet for emphasis with one black glove clad finger.

Sarah sniffed the goo inside the jar. "How was I supposed to know it was cursed? Besides, _I_ wouldn't have touched it if _you_ hadn't given it to me." She titled it to one side watching the goo slide around in the jar. _Doesn't look dangerous_ , she thought.

Jareth sighed and closed his eyes for a moment, praying for patience. "Sarah," he pinched the bridge of his nose, I did nothing of the sort." He lowered his hand and looked at her. "I've told you that too. It was those idiotic goblins. It's not my fault they can't differentiate 'Sierra' from 'Sarah'. I told them specifically to "give this to Sierra and-"

Sarah cut him off. This was new. He had always been a little vague about how the package found itself on her doorstep. _Sierra? Who the hell is Sierra?_ White hot jealousy flooded her brain and trickled through her nervous system. Sarah shook her head to stop it. _Jealousy? Where had that come from? I am NOT jealous of-_

"Who's Sierra?" she asked as calmly as she could, hoping that he didn't notice how tightly she was gripping the jar to keep herself from throwing it at him. After all, its contents could be their- no, _her_ salvation.

Jareth had been reading the feelings that flitted across Sarah's face and, yes, he picked up a hint of jealousy. Jealousy was a promising start to admitting things. Even if only to herself. He smiled inwardly, careful not to let his triumphant emotion slip to the surface and spoil everything.

"A very powerful Fae, Sarah. That," he pointed again to her bracelet, "was supposed to go to her for academic and scientific study."

Sarah muttered something like "academic study my ass," but he wasn't quite sure he heard her correctly. Clearing her throat, she pointed at his bracelet. "What about that? Why do you have the other half?"

"This was sitting on my desk until the goblins announced that they had delivered to the 'King's Lady' and I-"

She cut him off again. "'King's Lady?'" She asked incredulously, her mouth hung open in slight surprise. "I'm known as that?" she ran her fingers through her dark hair in irritation. "What the hell, Jareth?" She put the jar on the bed and started pacing in front of him- grateful for the allotted freedom to do so. "Eight years of nothing. No word from you or your subjects." Sarah's eyes grew soft and sad thinking of them- his subjects- her friends. She smiled wistfully, her pacing slowing a bit. "You know, I had convinced myself that the Labyrinth was a dream?" Her smile grew misty at this admission before she resumed her questioning. "But little do I know, I am known here as the 'King's Lady?'" She stopped in her tracks and looked him in the eye. "What does that mean? Does it have something to do with this?" she asked as she lifted her banded wrist.

Jareth thought quickly. He couldn't give too much away. If he did, it would drag this process out even more. And as lovely a creature Sarah was, the constant proximity to her was starting to wear on him. Especially since he couldn't act on his baser desires.

"Champion is too complex for them," he replied, intentionally only answering one of her questions. "You, my dear Sarah, are the Champion of the Labyrinth, are you not? And in doing so, my subjects revere you as they do me, their king. And it only makes sense that some of my simpler denizens string together king," he pointed at himself, "and lady" he pointed at her. "Putting together, in their minds, the two people who inspire such awe and adoration."

Sarah huffed at this crossing her arms. That did make sense- too much sense but it didn't explain the situation they were currently in.

"And," he continued standing up and placing his hands on her shoulders, squeezing them gently, "if you would let me finish uninterrupted…" he trailed off.

"Fine," she snapped pulling herself away from his warm hands. _I bet he gives great massages_ , her inner voice commented. Ignoring it, she sat back on the bed, picking up the jar. "Continue."

Jareth smiled and gave her a mocking bow. "As my lady wishes." He straightened, ignoring Sarah's scowl, and continued. "As I was saying, the goblins reported that they successfully delivered the package to you. Now, if they had sent it to the correct person, I would have had nothing more to do with this. But, since it wound up in your possession, I had no other choice but to put its mate on my wrist- in an attempt to call it back you see."

"Obviously," she said dryly.

"However, since you had already put it on, whatever intended spell was activated and I was brought to your side."

And he was, much to the surprise of both. After much yelling and cursing (her) and ducking of various projectiles (him), Sarah calmed down enough to listen to why he was there. "Blah blah, goblins are real. Blah blah, package sent to you by mistake. Blah blah, my, how you have grown. Blah blah, I'll be going as soon as I can get that back." Fine by her. She looked for a clasp- there was none. She tried wriggling it over her hand but the bracelet was too small.

"Hold on, let me get a pair of pliers," she said as she walked towards the kitchen.

She had only gotten about five feet away before her arm was yanked back. "What the hell, Jareth?" she spat out as she pulled her arm forward causing him to stumble towards her in response. He looked just as bewildered as she did, and backing up, pulled his arm towards his chest which made her step closer to him.

Standing still for a moment they both tensed as if a shared thought flitted through their minds and, bolted in directions opposite each other, slamming back together like a rubber band pulling into itself, and crumpled on the floor in a pile of limbs. Detangling themselves, they laid on their backs trying to wrap their minds around the situation.

Jareth raised his wrist to inspect the thin band of metal encasing it. So plain looking, so innocent. "Hmm, that's what this does."

And Sarah had no choice but to accompany him back to the Underground since his kingdom couldn't mind itself until they figured out a solution. Letting her pack some things, Jareth weaved a spell to allow her to absence to go unnoticed, and transported them.

Sarah adjusted to her new life rather quickly he thought, and with minimal fuss. He was happy at how fascinated she was with his way of life, quietly taking notes at meetings or hearings. And in the evenings Sarah devoured all the literature of the Underground that was printed in her language. During the past three weeks, she learned the ways of the Court, rules policies, laws, history- eagerly absorbing it all.

When the time came, the transition for her would be easy. Except, well, there was one thing holding her back. Sarah was in denial.

Just because he hadn't contacted her for eight years didn't mean that he didn't keep an eye on her. He watched her as he waited for her to grow and mature from a bratty teenager who bested him, into the confident and lovely young woman she had become.

Her dreams, of course had changed and matured right along with her. Going from silly faerie tales to more adult dreams. What job did she want as an adult? Actress? Lawyer? Teacher? Astronaut? All those possibilities and more drifted through her mind. Where would she live? What kind of car would she drive? As she aged, the dreams became more and more defined and detailed until Jareth could almost smell the roses planted outside of Sarah's dream cottage complete with a carpet of green grass out front neatly lined with white picket fence.

Other things took longer for her to flesh out. A husband. What would he look like? Have dark features resembling her father, or more on the fair side? Would he have stormy green eyes that matched hers, or unsettling, almost otherworldly mismatched ones that could threaten and adore in the same instant?

Once Sarah's subconscious whispered that suggestion the rest of her dream husband took shape. Angular face, slight but muscular frame, wild blonde hair that seemingly defied gravity. He would be as graceful and nimble as a cat; strong and regal like a king- a Goblin King.

And after that, Jareth decided it was time to get reacquainted.

Hence the bracelet.

* * *

Disclaimer: Jareth and Sarah belong to Jim Henson and Co.

AN: This was inspired by **A Single Disgruntled Return** by Kayka. She put the idea into my head of having Jareth and Sarah tethered together.


	2. Chapter 2

Sarah quickly learned that when the mood stuck him, Jareth could talk- a lot. And today, the mood had stuck him hard. He was still going on about the stupid bracelet and how it had been found in some dungeon or something. Sighing, she gave the purple goo one last cautionary sniff. Her eyes shot to his as a thought entered her brain. _What if this is….?_

"What?" he asked as a look of extreme discomfort crossed her face. Previous conversation completely forgotten, he was completely focused on her.

Blushing she dropped her gaze and boldly stuck a finger in the goo. _Possibility of personal lubricant be damned_ , her inner voice declared. _If it gets this thing off it's worth it_. Sarah waited patiently for something to happen. When her hand didn't change into a chicken's foot (which she would have happily lived with if it meant being free), she slathered the stuff on her wrist and worked the bracelet into it until it slid around quite easily.

Slathering more stuff on her hand, Sarah inched the bracelet up towards her fingers. She bent her pinky down to try and hook the offending metal over. If she could get it past the pinky, she'd be home free. Without warning, as if sensing her impending triumph, the bracelet vibrated violently, its shaking causing it to slide back down her wrist until it settled and shrank to a tightness that almost constricted her blood flow.

"Ah, shit," she moaned in despair. Thwarted again.

Sarah's shoulders slumped in defeat and she shrank into herself. And Jareth itched to take her into his arms and comfort her. _Soon_ , his mind purred. If he played his cards right there would be an eternity of them comforting each other. _Speaking of which…_ "Sarah," he said softly, "I'm sorry," he paused and gently took one of her hands. "Is being in my presence really that bad?"

Sarah looked at him- his face wasn't turned into the haughty cold mask that he wore whenever they were out in public. It had softened into one of concern and hope that she would reassure him and make this thing a little less awkward. And his eyes, his beautiful eyes that had haunted her dreams for ages, were filled with something Sarah couldn't identify.

"No. Being around you isn't that bad." She squeezed his hand gently, but as she pulled her hand from his grasp, she was inundated with an intense feeling to bury herself in his arms. _The hell did that come from? Gah! No, Sarah_ , she scolded herself. This wasn't one of her dreams. _Who knew what was lurking beneath that handsome face?_ This could all be a ploy to make her fall in love with him and turn her into his brood mare or slave or… partner- _a queen_ , her mind whispered. No, thoughts like that lead to trouble. She turned away from him and hugged herself.

Sarah had noticed that in addition to his regular duties as Goblin King, Jareth spent a lot of time reading those books that were written in that foreign language. She never asked, but hoped that he was trying to figure a way out of this. On the other hand, her sensible side reminded- _he's probably a big fat liar_! She took everything he had told her about how they just 'happened' to find themselves 'accidentally' in this mess with a grain of salt.

She could sense that he wanted something from her, but couldn't figure out what. Since he wasn't volunteering the information, Sarah took it upon herself to find a way out. However, forcing the bracelet off obviously wasn't the answer- she knew that now. _It must be something inside. Something he wants me to realize, maybe._

Sarah didn't know how close to being right she was.

****  
As soon as she turned her back to him, Jareth resisted cursing and throwing things out of frustration (they had that in common it seemed). He saw it in her eyes, the glimmer of an idea that once fully formed would- damnation! She really was too stubborn for her own good. Just as the thought danced through her mind she squashed it. He saw it plain as day- eyes growing warm with a new and wonderful realization; then poof, cold and hard like chips of ice- idea banished to whatever dark recesses she deemed fit for such a notion.

He knew Sarah was on the cusp of realizing it and then they would be free, and could start their new lives together. Well, first she had to realize it, then accept it. And then these damned bracelets would come off.

Only if she accepted that she loved him. Not the idea of him- the half-whispered thoughts and dreams that caressed her mind at night. But the flesh and blood him. He knew it after the dream she had where her subconscious suggested the idea of him as a husband- he knew what she carried deep within her. Dreams of course, were really the language of the heart after all. Still she denied herself and by proxy, denied him.

Had he been nothing but kind to her since her trip back? Took the time to show her around let her get to know him as a decent Fae? Not the villain she encountered the first time around. He was a fair ruler to his subjects- stern at times, but practical. He only ever wanted what was best for them. What was best for the kingdom. Jareth took the time to explain the rules of the Underground, and let her take notes at meetings so that she could later ask and understand more of his world.

And with each passing day he was finding it harder to keep himself from wanting to hold her and caress her silky hair. Spend eternity at her side. He knew, though, that if he said too much or acted too boldly- she'd retreat into herself and her denial would fortify itself even stronger than before.

He looked at the bracelet on his wrist. No, it hadn't been an accident- and she probably suspected that. He had hoped at the time, that within a few days she would accept her feelings, and, well 'all's well that ends well' as the saying goes.

But it was going on three weeks now. Nighttime had to be the hardest part of all this. He was plagued with her increasingly lustful dreams, and he daren't touch her lest she throw something at him and shut herself down.

Ah, but that first night. He chuckled as the memory flooded his brain.

****  
Jareth saw the exhaustion written all over Sarah. Not only was it etched on her face with drooping eyelids and a grey tint to her skin, but it echoed in her movements and posture. He deemed it time for them to go to bed.

"Bed?" she asked suspiciously. "I'm not going to bed with you." She backed away from him as far as the invisible thread would allow.

Jareth pursed his lips. "Not like that. Sleeping." She gave him a blank look- not comprehending. _Gods, she really is tired._ He moved his arm, gently tugging hers. "This, remember this?" he tugged a little harder. "This is why we have to share a bed. We only have, what about five feet of clearance? I give you my word Sarah," he said gently. "Only sleeping." Not saying anything, she nodded in agreement and he took off with her trailing behind.

Jareth's chambers were what one would expect of a king. Spacious, with plush rugs and wall coverings. A black leather wing-back chair sat near an empty fireplace. All the wooden furnishings were made of rich mahogany, from the mantle above the fire, his armoire in the corner, and built in bookcases, to the richly carved frame behind the bed. The bed- his bed- dominated most of the space.

She perked up considerably as soon as they both stepped inside. Sarah felt a tingling at her wrist, and glancing at Jareth, she could tell that he felt something too- they looked at their respective bracelets waiting for something to happen.

He knew of course, what the tingling meant. It meant that they were free to move about his chambers. He had, after all, designed them that way. Being in a constant five-foot proximity someone (even if it was Sarah) was hard enough. And Jareth figured that they should get a break of sorts.

Obviously, he didn't share this information. "Sarah, stay here. I want to try something." He walked forward and (rather theatrically) winced as he crossed the invisible five-foot barrier. Nothing happened, he could keep moving. Smiling brightly at her he said, "Excellent."

Standing to the side Jareth watched her intently as she stepped further into the room, looking around with a tired fascination. Emotions and thoughts lit up her face so clearly, that it was like reading a book. He saw the exact moment when the new notion of freedom clicked, due to her staring fixedly at the golden clock floating in a corner. _Broken spell at midnight_ , he reasoned. _That's the stipulation of many of those fairy tales she loves_. He, too, looked at the clock seeing that it was after 3 am here. And with that, she bolted for the door. Jareth raised a hand to stop her, but it was too late.

As expected she was pulled back as soon as her feet touched the threshold. Unexpectedly, however, was her temper tantrum. He sighed as he watched the woman beat her fists on the ground and howl in frustration. One would have thought that such behavior would have been outgrown by now.

On one hand, Jareth understood Sarah's frustration. She had been whisked away from everything familiar to her by a being who, until now, had been in her mind a product of her imagination. Not only had she been whisked away, she was forced to endure proximity to said being.

On the other hand, he found her childlike behavior to be completely amusing. In the eight years Jareth had been watching her, he saw these temper tantrums become rarer and rarer, until almost nothing fazed her. Not even her high stress job as a police dispatcher. She was calm and collected during even the most distressing calls. In-taking, relaying information, and sending the proper authorities to their destination.

So, to see such an in-control woman like Sarah loose herself in such away brought a smile to his thin lips. If only he could get her to lose herself in other ways.

Running water broke him out of his reverie. She was in his- _their_ \- bathroom probably scrubbing the gelatinous goo off her arm. If only she'd accept it all. It had been three bloody weeks already- three weeks to get used to him and his world. What was stopping her? Why was she in denial?

Jareth saw very clearly how a whisper of him blossomed into full blown and fully idealized dream lover. It was getting so bad, that she tossed and turned most nights and in the mornings, he could smell the arousal on her.

 _This won't do_ , he decided. This dance of sorts wasn't getting them anywhere. He needed to take a chance and expedite things.

* * *

Disclaimer: Jareth and Sarah belong to Jim Henson and Co.

AN: Just in case people are confused. Long strings of italics are thoughts.


	3. Chapter 3

Sarah was so keenly scrubbing her forearm that she didn't notice Jareth enter the bathroom. Frowning at her purple tinged skin she called out, thinking he was still in the bedroom. "Jareth, I noticed that your side of the bed is softer than mine. Why is that?"

"There's no need to shout, Precious, I'm right here."

A startled squeak erupted from her lips as her head shot up to look in the mirror. Indeed, he was standing a few feet behind her. Whirring around she glared at him. "Don't call me 'Precious'!" She ground out between clenched teeth. "You know I hate that name. And…." She trailed off as Jareth quite calmly started peeling off his gloves. "Wait… what- what are you doing?" she stammered.

"Preparing to bathe," he said as he sat down on a low bench and began removing his boots.

"But… I'm **in** here." She glanced at the doorway calculating how quickly she could sprint towards it.

"And?" he asked as he placed his boots next to the bench neatly and standing, started untucking his green ruffled shirt from his breeches. "Want to join me?" He glanced up at her.

"I- what? NO!" A fierce blush crept up her face as she turned away from him (for propriety's sake of course). However, that didn't work since it brought her right back in front of the mirror which he was still reflected in. Half of her mind screamed at her to move now, while the other half whispered that one little peek wouldn't hurt. _See if he measures up_ , it said cajolingly.

Sarah obeyed that half and stayed put. Waving her hand underneath the gilded mirror, she started the flow of water and went back to scrubbing her stained arm. All the while sneaking glances at the glass through her eyelashes.

She watched as alabaster skin was slowly revealed, inch by inch, as he undid each button (there were only about four fastened to begin with) with nimble fingers. Sinewy graceful muscles danced beneath enticing her to turn around and run her hands over them. He ducked his head, pulling the black cord of his amulet over it, and stooping, set it on the bench next to his gloves. Standing once again he starred brazenly into the mirror, straight at Sarah, daring her to look away. Her eyes were drawn to his and she stared back helplessly caught in his gaze.

She could feel it from across the room: Commanding sexual power. The only other time she got a taste of it was during that peach induced masquerade, except she was too young to fully understand then. Still she had followed- intrigued and entranced by the beautiful man playing coquettish game of hide and seek- he hid and she sought him out, until he deemed their game finished and caught her instead. And she let him catch her sweeping her up into a dance where he led their steps with unimaginable grace and beauty.

This was different. Despite being 24 years old, she knew full well the kinds of tricks beautiful men played. Drawing the unsuspecting conquest into their web. To play with, use and discard before moving onto the next. Except she only had experienced mortal men and Jareth was no mortal. Would his game end differently? _Probably worse,_ _remember that._

He let the silken shirt fall to the ground and pool behind the bench. His hands snaked towards the tie at the front of his breeches, all the while not breaking eye contact. Sarah inhaled quickly through parted lips and shut her eyes. _What is wrong with me_? Her mind screamed. Nobody had ever affected her like this before. _Remember your training. Calm, cool, professional_. _Nothing phases Sarah Williams._

Nothing, except Jareth.

****  
Swallowing thickly, she cast for something to say. Something to distract. Keeping her eyes closed, she locked in on her earlier question. "You never answered my question, Jareth. Why is your side of the bed softer than mine?"

 _The bed really? You want to bring that up now?_ She scolded herself.

As soon as Sarah closed her eyes, he stopped the action of removing his breeches. Jareth padded over on silent bare feet. He smirked unabashedly at the woman whose lust filled eyes were shut tight against his visual onslaught.

As for the bed, he magicked it that way after the first distant filled nights between them. He had hoped that in her sleep she'd drift closer towards him and eventually stay there. Softer bedding combined with his warm body stretched out beside hers. Who would resist that? Apparently, she did. Her and her damned pillow wall that she insisted on erecting nightly.

He even asked one evening: "Why the devil do you build that every night?"

"To keep things from jabbing at me," she said flicking her eyes at his blanket covered lap at the word 'things'.

Stopping a few inches behind her, Jareth leaned forward and whispered into her right ear, "Really Sarah, if you _acknowledged_ some things, we wouldn't be playing this game."

Sarah jerked involuntarily at the closeness of his voice but stubbornly kept her eyes closed. With her senses in overdrive, she could feel the heat radiating off him and knew that all she had to do was lean back slightly to have direct contact with him. She almost did.

She kept her steadfastness, blaming _those stupid dreams_. Well, that and she hadn't had sex in three months. A bad combination. Her last boyfriend, Jeremy, was an okay lover- attentive to her needs but that was it. No passion, no loss of control, no curling toes. She wanted curling toes, and Jeremy obviously couldn't achieve that, so she ended things.

But it was the dreams… Right. She was getting sidetracked again. _If I move my hand a few inches back, I can find out if he's wearing pants_. _Do I want to know if he's wearing pants?_

Dreams… dreams? What about the dreams? Jareth had never featured strongly in them. Just hints- here and there over the years. A blonde-haired stranger in a dream crowd. Unnervingly odd eyes starring keenly into hers during a job interview. Dream boyfriends that resembled him. Things like that. Nondescript. Incomplete. Until recently, the night before she broke up with Jeremy in fact. She had dreamt that her and Jeremy had gotten married. And instead of dancing in the arms of her dark-haired husband, he changed mid-step into Jareth.

From the tips to his fluffy hair, to the tips of his shiny boots. He was every inch the Goblin King. Commanding and powerful. Just like he was before- just like now. And after that, he appeared nightly in her dreams. They started off rather tame- almost like the beginning stages of dating someone. They'd go on picnics, walk along the outer walls of his Labyrinth. Discuss many topics from science, to magic, to what flying was like.

Then she kissed him one night and it was like a dam had broken. The dreams became darker, heady. Limbs tangled and mouths mated. His skin salty with sweat, juxtaposed nicely with his mouth that was sweet as honey. Details upon details built up over the nights until she would wake up half expecting that he'd be beside her in the mornings.

Even though Sarah knew he was a figment of her imagination, she was disappointed every time she woke to an empty bed.

That is, until the day a small brown package found its way to her door.

"Sarah," he tried again. He knew her mind was whirling with thoughts. He had to get her out of her head- get her to focus on the real him. Lightly, he rested his fingertips on either side of her hips. Ungloved hands caressing the roughness of her jeans. "Sarah," he purred. Finally, finally, she opened her eyes and looked at his through the mirror. She gasped, seemingly forgetting in the moments before where she was. Where he was.

The blush spread across her face- quicker than before. Turning, she made for the archway and swiftly stepped through it.

Jareth stood there, his hands holding the air where Sarah's hips had once been. "Damn," he cursed.

****  
Sarah made it all the way to the chamber door before remembering that she could go no further. Due to the tingling on her wrist giving her ample warning before she crossed the threshold. "Now you warn me?" she incredulously asked the innocent looking trinket.

Feeling like a caged animal, she paced. "Okay… just calm down. It's not like you've never seen a naked man before." True, except she'd never seen one as beautiful as him. Visually he exceeded her dreams. Would he excel in other ways? Make her toes curl? With little thought, she decided that yes, yes, he would.

That revelation caused a familiar warming sensation in her groin. Not good. She had to distract herself. Banish these thoughts before she played right into his trap. It had to be a trap, right? What other reason would he have 'accidently' brought her here?

Music. She needed music. One of the first things she grabbed while packing for her unexpected trip to the Underground, was her solar charger for her phone and tablet. There was no Internet connection here, but at least she had an ample supply of downloaded music, movies, books, and even the odd TV show to keep her occupied.

However, this was the first time in a while that she sought out those items. She had been so busy trying to understand the new world around her, and trying to figure out how to get back to her old world, that she'd forgotten the electronic contraptions.

Digging her phone out of her knapsack she checked- it was about 10% charged. Plugging it into the charger, she sat it in a warm sunbeam and waited. Something else… she had to do something else. Dragging a book and scrap of paper from her pile on the floor, Sarah tried to concentrate on the notes she took from yesterday's meeting but found the attempt to be futile.

A mixture of what she had just seen blended with her dream scenarios until she wanted to run back into the bathroom and see exactly how far he'd push things. She shook her head in a vain attempt to clear those urges.

What was that all about anyway? In the time they'd been living together, he had not once made that kind of move. Jareth had been quite gentlemanly up until now. Even going so far as to install a privacy screen for her to change behind if he was occupying the bathroom.

So why the sudden change? Sarah gasped- her dreams. Those awful (wonderful) dreams. Surely, he didn't... no he couldn't… could he? "Shit," she moaned as she dropped her head into her hands. "He gives people their dreams… of course he can see mine."

She headed towards the bathroom to explain, but stopped a few feet short. What would she say? That he misunderstood? "They're just dreams- they don't mean anything." But of course, here, they most likely did. And it just added to the mess they- she- was in.

Sarah threaded her hands in her dark hair and tugged until the pain permeated through the thick sludge of thoughts. "Thinking about _that_ won't do any good," she scolded herself. "I need to focus in on all of him." She perked up. "Maybe if I figure him and his motives out I can get myself home."

In the past, she found that sorting out her mind did wonders, and going back to her pile of books she grabbed a clean scrap of paper, writing **Pros and Cons of Jareth** drawing a thick black line beneath the header.

 **Pro- He's been very nice all things considered**

Which was true. He kept her safe, fed her, gave her a moderately comfortable bed to sleep in. And he could have been cruel. Feed her only bread and water, deprive her of comfortable (and modest) clothing. Beat her, rape her even. But he had done none of those things.

He even took her on the occasional Wish Away Retrieval. True, he had no choice in the matter, and she was rendered invisible, but it was fascinating just the same. The very first time it happened, she was startled since they had been having a lively discussion of classic literature (he had read most everything written in her world) when, in a flash, he had transformed into what she later dubbed 'Wishing Garb'. Which happened to be the exact same outfit she'd first seen him ages ago when he came to collect Toby.

And it was extremely surreal seeing it from the other side- from his side. The confused and frightened teenage boy crying piteously for his missing baby sister. Jareth uncaring, but not unkindly offering him the same deal he had offered to Sarah: Run or your dreams encased in a tiny crystal.

For a moment, Sarah was excited about the prospect of seeing him Run like she had. Would he make the same mistakes? How did Jareth keep track of the Runners anyhow? But sadly, the boy accepted the dancing crystal, and his baby sister was no more a part of his world.

She did get her chance to see a Runner in action a few days later. A young mother, exhausted with her colicky baby made the wish and Ran to save him. Sarah observed as Jareth kept tabs on her via his crystals, but she noticed that he didn't visit personally like he had with her. No, the only other time he- they- had contact with the mother was when the 13 hours were up, and she was still stuck in the hedge maze. _Did he not visit as much because he'd have to drag me along?_ She wondered. In the end, the baby boy remained behind.

Erroneously at first, Sarah had assumed that becoming 'one of us forever' meant that the child would be turned into a goblin. When asked about it later, Jareth laughed heartily and explained that the babe would be adopted to a childless Fey family and live a life full of love.

Sarah decided that while unpleasant, what he did wasn't a terrible thing. At least he was giving children guaranteed love.

But back to her list.

 **Con- 5-foot radius (facilitated by him)?**

 **Pro- Intelligent and witty**

 **Con- Scheming and tricky (think broodmare)**

 **Pro- Genuine affection?**

A new idea took hold. What if he wasn't tricking her? At least past getting back into her life as it was. Sarah's green eyes narrowed shrewdly as she considered it. She could have sworn at times, that he looked at her with adoration in his strange eyes. A quote from a long ago beloved book flitted through her mind like a butterfly. "…fallen in love with the girl."

She looked again at the bracelet. "So, he's done all this because he loves me?" She sat still, listening to the wind blow in through the open window across from her and let this possibility sink in.

Her eyes focused in on the curtain billowing in the gentle breeze. Letting out a sharp laugh Sarah decided that, "Nah, that's too much," crossed out last pro, and locked that new idea in a metaphorical oubliette. That left her with an even count on her pathetically small list.

Grabbing her phone, she saw that the power had only increased to 12%. Probably enough for half a dozen songs at most- not nearly enough.

Groaning, she leaned back on her hands and cast her eyes around the chamber for a new distraction. Very easily they were drawn to the archway leading to the bathroom. She let them linger.

****  
"Bullocks!" He cursed, tossing a crystal into the pit-like tub filling it instantly with steaming water.

Untying the knot in his breeches, he stepped out of them and into the tub, hissing as the water hit his flesh. He settled down into the liquid, stretching out on a stone ledge, letting his body go limp. "Being nice didn't work, proffering myself didn't work." At the time, he thought that if she saw that there was real male flesh- really him not a dream or illusion- right in front of her, it would make things fall into place. "Stubborn as ever- damn her!" He slapped the water out of anger. Taking a few deep breaths, he calmed himself. "I could just tell her." He sat up and ran his wet hand through his hair dampening its fluff. "Sarah, you and I both know you're in love with me. Accept it, the bracelets will come off, we can shag and live together forever."

Jareth deftly dismissed the inner voice that complained about how hypothetical sentence made no mention of his feelings for her.

He snorted. "Yeah, that'll work. She'll find something exceptionally heavy to toss at me." Shagging had its appeal though, and he was one to never pass it up.

He remembered reading in an Aboveground biology book about human sex once. Like most mortal beings, its primary function was reproduction- to ensure the continuation of the species. However, females were more prone to release a bonding hormone during sex- especially if they achieved orgasm. Something about being hardwired not to stray from the male, to ensure all the offspring were his. At least that's what he took away from it.

With that in mind, a new plan formed. "I need to seduce her without her knowing." Grabbing a bit of flannel from the side of the tub he lathered it and started washing his arms. "Ah, that's what they call it," he murmured to himself as the word came to mind. "Wooing. I need to woo her." However, after what happened earlier, he highly doubted that she'd let him come any closer than the mandatory 5-feet- and that was in public. In private- well, he was certain that her pillow wall would be in place indefinitely.

The glint of gold and silver off his right wrist caught his attention. He could try expediting things again- indirectly this time. It had been three weeks after all. Don't most things have a time limit?

****  
Bracing himself as best he could, he counted down from three. On cue, as soon as he reached 'one,' an indigent shriek sounded from the bedroom as Sarah was dragged forcefully back into the bathroom. With a great splash, she landed in the tub- squarely in his lap.

"Ah, so you did decide to join me," he said cheerfully, acting as though he had no idea what was happening.

Sarah reacted quicker than he expected, bolting up and clawing her way out of the tub. Her escape was cut short when the cord snapped tight. She turned towards him, wet hair flying- splattering drops everywhere. "What's going on?" She tugged on the cord.

Jareth's eyes grew wide, feigning surprise as his arm jerked forward in response. "What did you do, Sarah?"

"What?" he asked indignantly. "What do you mean 'what did you do?' This is your thing. It must be- broken. Fix it."

"Sarah," his tone of voice acted as warning to his displeasure. "I cannot just 'fix it.' Hell, we're still bound by these things, yess

She nodded and blew a wet strand of hair out of her face. "Yes. But can't you… I don't know- diagnose it or something?"

"I can try," was all he said before conjuring a small crystal and placed it on top of his bracelet. He concentrated on the swirls and colors emitting from it. "Time limit. We've exceeded the time limit." He banished the crystal.

"Time limit? What time limit? You never said there was a time limit." She tugged again trying to break the invisible string.

"Stop that!" He snapped, grabbing said string, and pulling hard, causing Sarah to stumble forward. "I never said there was a time limit because I didn't know there was one. Remember, these-"

"Yes, yes, I know found in a dungeon," she interrupted. "Untouched for 1,000 years or whatnot." She sat on the stone floor as far away from the sunken tub as was allowed. "Now what?"

He submerged himself under water, fully wetting his hair. Surfacing, he grinned, enjoying how she was undisturbed by his proximity (and lack of clothing). "First, I am going to finish my bath. Then we'll tackle this new development."

Sarah huffed and turned her back towards him. "Great," she muttered.

"Sarah," he called, once again pulling on the line. "Could you be a dear and help? After all, I cannot wash my hair with one hand."

 _Shit,_ she thought.

* * *

Disclaimer: Jareth and Sarah belong to Jim Henson and Co.

AN: I felt bad since chapter two is dinky, so here's an early update and a longer chapter.

And I'd like to extend many thanks to LovelyAmberLight, whose PMs have helped me gain direction.


	4. Chapter 4

Important AN for current readers:

One of the disadvantages of posting as I write, are little plot changes that are made along the way. So I tweaked the time of no contact and the time that they've been living together. No contact- eight years instead of ten living together- three weeks instead of five.

I also removed the mention of him loving her in the first chapter. His feelings are going to be more ambivalent for now.

* * *

In the end Jareth (sadly) washed his own hair. He had playfully tried engaging her assistance, but conceded defeat when a bar of soap zoomed past his head. She did however, scoot close enough to enable him to use both of his hands.

Sarah sat stubbornly with her back to him, knees bent with her chin resting on them. Her left hand was stretched out behind her to allow more clearance, while her right fiddled with a lock of still damp hair. She was immersed in the warm oranges and golds of the setting sun. And he thought her beautiful, even though her hair was a tangled mess, she was shivering slightly, and sitting in a puddle.

Rinsing his hair, Jareth climbed out of the tub (much more elegantly than she had), patted himself dry with a towel, and wrapped it loosely around his waist. Grabbing a clean one, he nudged her hand with his foot. "You're going to catch cold."

"Hmm?" Sarah had been so lost in thought that she didn't even realize he had finished. That was the second time today he had caught her off guard. She needed to be more focused and aware of her surroundings- less in her head.

"Oh, thanks," she said standing and accepting the towel. Sighing, she looked down at herself- wet clothing stuck to her body; she was certain she looked like a drowned rat. Scooping her hair over her shoulder she started drying it when a question came to mind. "How are we going to dress?"

****  
Dressing was anticlimactic with the ample help of his magic. And he didn't even need one of his crystals to accomplish it. With just a wave of his hand they were both fully dry and dressed. Sarah was relieved.

After that, they went in decidedly different directions (or tried to). Seeing that dinner had arrived, Jareth headed towards the small dining table he kept just inside of his- _their_ \- private balcony, while Sarah headed towards the exit with the intention of them going to the castle library.

Sarah had revised her earlier plan: Keep an eye on Jareth and his wild misinterpretations of her imagination, and research the bracelet. She now realized that she had had been wrong in trying to force the stupid thing to break. No, she had to use her wits to defeat it just like she had his Labyrinth so many years ago. She need to be the one to research it since she couldn't depend upon him to do so. If he was doing so- Sarah still wasn't sure about that.

She wasn't even close to the door before she felt the familiar pull on her arm. She stopped and pinched the bridge of her nose with her free hand, while trying to grasp the invisible cord with her left. _Why can he feel it but not me?_

With one foot paused in mid-step, Jareth was unknowingly mimicking her actions in pinching the bridge of his own nose. "Sarah," he sighed, "dinner is here- we need to eat. Research can wait."

"No, you said we'll work on this after your bath. You're done bathing so, we're doing this now."

Jareth started to walk closer with a smart retort on his lips, when he was interrupted by her growling stomach. He smirked and arched an eyebrow, silently asking her to protest that.

"Oh, okay, fine," she stalked by him sitting at the table. "But after dinner…"

****  
Sarah had seen very little of the castle due to Jareth's numerous meetings and daily dealings in successfully running a kingdom. He did show her around a bit when she first arrived, and her favorite place (aside from his gardens) was the library.

Regrettably, most of the books were in languages she couldn't begin to understand. Pursing her lips, she studied the thick tome in her lap. She could have sworn that he had mentioned something about the bracelet being 1,000 years old- half buried in some dungeon _. He did say that, didn't he?_ Ugh, now she couldn't remember for sure. He had been talking for so long that she half-tuned him out.

If he didn't, then it made complete sense that she found no mention of a 1,000-year-old bracelet in any of the Underground's history books she had combed through. Closing the book, she looked around at the ones she couldn't read. "Jareth?" she asked looking over at him. He was sitting in a matching armchair with a small table attached, muttering at a bit of parchment.

"…trades, chicken ball, kumquats…" he scribbled something at the bottom.

"Jareth?" she voiced a bit louder.

He looked up at her. "Yes?"

Gesturing at the books around them, she asked "Can you read all these books?"

Setting the parchment down on the table he stood, arching his back to work the kinks out. Looking at the clock on top of the mantle of the low burning fire, he noted that it was after 11:30. Had they really been there that long? "Yes," he replied cautiously, not following her intentions.

"Do you have anything that will allow me to read them?" He eyed her shrewdly at this request. Mentally cataloging the books and deciding if there was anything in them that could get her into trouble. He was about to say 'no' when he remembered that he was supposed to be wooing her. _How does one woo a human anyhow?_ Oddly, it was something he had never seriously attempted before. Letting her have free reign over his- their- library would at least keep her occupied until he figured that out.

Smiling, he led her to bookcase that contained many peculiarly shaped boxes. The contents of the boxes didn't matter, except for one. Reaching up, he blew the dust off an oblong Cherry wood box and scooped out its contents. Returning the empty container to its place, he handed a tiny set of spectacles to Sarah.

"These will allow you to ready any book in this room," he explained.

"Oh," she exclaimed- making a connection that was familiar. "Like a Babblefish."

"A Babble-?"

"Nothing, it's a thing from a book. It allows the person using it to understand any language." She studied the glasses. "How do I…?" she gestured at them hoping he'd understand.

"They clip on your nose," he said demonstrating them to her. "Here, allow me." Gently, he placed them on the bridge of her nose, allowing his gloved fingers to caress her cheek as he pulled away.

The gesture went unnoticed by Sarah who was distracted since the room went fuzzy as soon as they were clipped into place. Slowly, things came into focus as the glasses adjusted themselves.

Jareth grabbed a book off an end table and handed it to her. It was written in antiquated Fae, and as a result extremely dry and boring.

Greedily, Sarah took the book and examined its cover. "'The Art of Carpet Weaving,'" she read. "Really? Carpet Weaving?" She looked at him confused.

"The Ancient Ones were easily amused," he replied with a shrug.

****  
The duo's arms, laden by books by the time they exited the library (which had been chosen by Sarah) filled her with hope. Piling them on the floor near her side of the bed, she looked extremely happy. _Surely, the bracelet will be in one of these._ Plucking the topmost one, she settled on the bed and started to skim the table of contents. _I bet I'll be home within a month,_ she thought giddily.

Jareth watched knowing exactly what she was looking for. _But what the girl didn't know was that no such information existed._ He had no idea where she got the notion that the answer would be in a book since he was careful to keep the true origin of the bracelet secret.

She could search the entire library, the entire Labyrinth even and find absolutely nothing about the bracelet anywhere.

For he created it especially for her.

No human had ever made such an impression on him before. He found himself drawn to and intrigued by her even after she dismissed her adventure nothing more than a lavish fantasy. As she grew and matured he waited patiently for the right moment to return to her life. Watching both her waking and dreaming worlds- learning everything he could.

Fortunately, some small part of her mind held onto him. Slowly he watched as generalized features (but still his) crept their way into her subconscious. A dream probably forgotten by her, which featured a rather bland version of himself as a young lover gave him the idea for the bracelet. The illusion of himself gifted her with the exact same thing, only in the dream, it was an ordinary trinket. Inspired, he started working on the real thing some time ago.

As his version took shape, he watched her dreams twist and evolve into ones of a more adult nature and was happy to see that he featured in almost every one of them. That changed his overall motive. His original idea was to bring the piece of jewelry to fruition and give it to her along with the knowledge that him and his world were real. Letting the decision if she wanted him in her life fall on her shoulders.

However, with each sensual act he grew more convinced that she loved him. Didn't all humans equate sex with love? Something to do with their overall mortal nature? If that was the case, then he had no choice but to bring her back with him.

But why? Why did he have this driving need to have her beside him? At first it was because he wanted to take her love and selfishly keep it all to himself. But by the tenth or so sexual dream, love be damned. He just wanted her, wanted to do the things to her that she dreamed about nightly and sate both their lusts. Jareth was tired of watching ghostly images of themselves fight, play, and fuck.

 _Why not just take her?_ His mind whispered darkly two nights after bringing her back to the Underground. Jareth was many things: Goblin King, Fae, Panderer of Dreams, Lord of the Labyrinth, but he wasn't a ravisher. He wanted her to give herself to him freely- her love and her body.

Then what? What would he do after that? While he didn't love her exactly, he did genuinely care for her and her well being. He hated seeing her upset or sad and wanted to soothe her just as much as he wanted to screw her.

And so, his bracelet changed into its current incarnation. Ultimately there was no magic word, or feeling needed by her- he could set them free at any moment with a snap of his fingers and a whispered word.

It just wasn't the right time yet.

He sighed deeply, mutely waving his hand preparing them for sleep.

****  
One of the more enjoyable parts of his job as Goblin King was the ability to see humans' dreams. And the ability to see them was very useful when it came to collect Wished Aways. A week or so before someone said the right words, magic would alert him to the potential Runner. He would then watch their dreams, and use the information to craft the perfect one as an enticement.

In fact, one of his favorites (aside from Sarah's, when they featured him) was from an older man whose only dream was for the local villagers to leave him and his pet goat alone. And that only started after one of the daughters of the village elder insinuated improper relations between him and said goat.

The accusations grew so bad that he wished the girl away after reading the words that some other errant youth had etched onto the side of his house. The phrasing wasn't quite right however- it read 'I wish the goblins would take you and your goat away… right now.' The man still went with the idea substituting 'you and your goat' with "you, Meriam."

Jareth deemed the phrase close enough and came to collect that evening. It was an extremely short transaction as the man didn't bother with Running. He grabbed the crystal, kissed his goat, Miss Fancy, on the head and happily retired to bed. And Jareth, loathe to have the villagers try to wish the goat to him, was extra generous and wiped their memories of all accusations. He even sent the girl back seeing as she was too old to adopt out anyway.

Last he heard, the man and Miss Fancy had moved to the coast and were quite content.

****  
After reading a few chapters, Sarah curled on her side and easily fell asleep. Waiting a little while, Jareth settled himself comfortably reaching out with his magic. Yes, she was already dreaming. Easing himself inside her mind he looked around. She was dreaming of a theatrical performance. Only the seats and stage were empty, save a brightly colored backdrop and a few scattered props- lending Carthaginian feel. He sat in the middle of the front row and waited.

Music queued up- a quick wild pace, and a line of seven ballerinas skittered in from the wings. They were dressed in red and green corset like tops with matching red and green ropes forming the skirts of their costumes. Hair was fluffed up and back forming a Pre-Raphaelite look on each of them. Wide eyes rimmed with black kohl lent a haunted look to their delicate faces.

His first impression was that they resembled a rag-tag group of princesses- for each one had a glittering golden crown inlayed with ruby and emerald stones set on top of their heads- except they weren't. Upon closer inspection, he saw that each girl also had a pair of matching bejeweled cuffs on each wrist, like captives.

"Oh, slave girls," he murmured to himself, pleased that he figured it out. This would be entertaining.

Sarah was in the middle of the group, frantically dancing to keep up with the others. Her movements were neat and precise, a look of absolute concentration on her face. The set ended with her crouched slightly in the front of the group, hands palm up in a supplicating gesture. The remaining six girls clustered around her- hands framing her body. They held their poses as the music ended.

"Again," came a guttural voice from the shadowed wings. Sarah was the only one to react- she nodded once in its direction, and scurried to her starting point backstage. The scene reset itself- the other girls fading like ghosts. The same music started again, only this time Sarah was the sole ballerina to come out and dance and finished breathing hard. She waited in her ending pose, sparing a glance towards the wings for approval.

"Again," said the voice. The scene reset for a third time, then a fourth- Sarah ever the lone dancer. Movements becoming increasingly punchy, but still she danced. Still she looked for approval.

It wasn't until the blood seeped from her ballet shoes that she protested. "Again," the voice growled- obviously growing tired of her failure.

"Please," she said breathlessly as she wiped the sweat from her brow, rope skirt tangled around her legs, "I cannot."

"Why?" The owner of the voice stepped out on stage. It was him. Strange that he didn't recognize his own voice until now. Jareth sat forward in his seat observing the pair with intense interest.

"Why can you not?" the him on stage asked. He was dressed as he had been during their final confrontation in the Escher Room all those years ago- resplendent in white- feather and fur cape trailing elegantly behind him. A stark contrast to Sarah's haggard appearance.

She stood, and grasped a few strands of the red and green rope skirt, holding them out to him. "The rope binds me. I cannot please you until I am free."

She looked at him with beseeching exhausted eyes- the usual brilliant green dulling to grey. "Why can't I be free?"

He watched himself draw a breath to answer, but at that moment Sarah shifted in her sleep, effectively changing the dream. "Blast," he said as he was thrust into a new one. This one was more lighthearted than the first. It featured a pink sparkly elephant playing backgammon with a shockingly violet rabbit.

Exiting her dream, Jareth sat up and thought, _the bloody hell does that mean?_

****  
A few hours later, Sarah woke with the need to use the restroom. Rolling out of bed, she started to shuffle towards it when the ever-present thread pulled taught. "Crap," she said, remembering the latest development. Crawling back into bed she saw that Jareth was peacefully asleep- angular features softened until he looked almost angelic.

Leaning over him slightly she whispered, "Psst- Jareth, get up." He didn't move- she didn't think he would.

Giving it another try, she grabbed his shoulder and gave it a shake. It was the first time she touched him of her own volition. It was warm and firm beneath her hand. "Hey, I have to pee," she said louder while jostling him.

Jareth muttered noncommittally and rolled away from her- out of her grasp. Moving a few of her pillow barriers out of the way, she knelt beside him her knees brushing his back. Grabbing his arm, she shook hard, "You stupid, foul, jerk- GET UP!"

That worked and Jareth woke with a start. "What? Is the castle on fire?" he grumbled, confused and slightly panicked. Nobody ever woke him except in extreme emergencies. He focused on the person leaning over him. _Oh, it was Sarah- whatever was she…?_

"Come on," she tugged on his arm, "I have to go to the bathroom."

 _Oh, that._ He hadn't considered that. Groaning, he crawled out of bed and accompanied her. Her need so great that she practically dragged him there. "Turn around," she ordered before lowering her pajama bottoms and perching on top of the stone commode. He did so with no fuss. _Probably because he's half-asleep,_ she reasoned.

The toilet was like a cross between a medieval privy and a modern toilet, in that it looked like a medieval privy, but the waste was automatically taken care of like the Aboveground ones. Sarah figured it was done by magic and didn't think too much about where the excrement was taken to.

Finishing and wiping with a rag, Sarah washed and dried her hands. "You can turn around now. I'm decent." Jareth didn't move. Circling around, Sarah saw that he had fallen back asleep on his feet. _Typical male._

With her feet growing cold on the stone floor, Sarah took the more efficient route, and splashed a bit of water in his face. This time he woke more confused, and after a bit more grumbling and toweling off- they both fell back into bed.

****  
They were exhausted the next morning. And it was the second Tuesday of the month which meant Jareth (and Sarah) had to spend all day in the throne room to hear out grievances from a variety of creatures.

Sarah had only attended one other Grievance Day and was curious what this one would be about (the last had an overall theme of not enough chickens). Sitting on the steps leading up to his throne, she plucked a bit of straw out of her skirt. In their- _his_ \- chambers (and quick visits to the library), she was freely allowed to wear her Aboveground clothing, but in public, she was expected to don more traditional garb. Flowing skirts paired with peasant blouses and leather waist cinchers were for events like today.

She had yet to attend anything fancy and wondered what clothing would be provided for something like that. Her heartbeat quickened at the thought of wearing something as fine and regal looking as the silver ballgown she once wore, and the ensuing dance they had shared.

Sarah shortly discovered the theme of today's grievances: not enough free space. She counted four goblins complaining about that vs the two needing more oiled rags. The last one, before lunch, came in stating that he couldn't afford a new moth-eaten hat, and demanded Jareth provide him one free of charge. The hat-less goblin was kicked out of a nearby window. While the other two criticisms were recorded on a scroll by Smeet, one of the few goblins who knew how to read and write.

****  
"Free space. They have a whole Labyrinth to wander in- they're up in their ears in free space," Jareth muttered darkly, cutting into his fish as they lunched.

"A park," Sarah said spearing her own fish with a fork. "They need a park."

Jareth looked up from picking the bones out of his meal. "A park? Whatever are they going to do with a park?"

"Well, it'll be open space," she made twisty motions with her hand, "no winding paths or looming walls. A bit of green that they could enjoy… trees, grass. Oh, maybe a pond. In fact," she smiled, eyes growing soft, "there was one by my house that I used to act out plays in with my old dog Merlin and-" Her smile suddenly fell as she remembered one play in particular and the resulting events. Shaking her head, she changed topics. "You could always put in a slide- I bet they'd love that." At Jareth's furrowed brow she added, "you do know what a slide is?"

"I bloody well know what a slide is," he glared at her, annoyed that she'd think him ignorant of such things. He leaned back from the table and looked out of a nearby window. On the edge of the Goblin City there was an unused dirt field. His mind painted in the images Sarah spoke about: The field grew lush with green grass and large shade trees. Ducks and other water fowl glided serenely on a glassy topped pond. A slide, would tower above it with a line of goblins waiting to climb its steps. Him and Sarah sprawled out on the warm grass watching them.

He'd do it. He'd build a park.

Snapping his fingers, he summoned Smeet who handed him a small scroll and quill. Writing a brief list, he bound the scroll and handed them back to the tiny goblin who disappeared with a small burst of lavender glitter.

The rest of the day went by quickly with Jareth assuring the goblins who wanted more space that he was actively working on a solution.

* * *

Disclaimer: Jareth and Sarah belong to Jim Henson and Co.


	5. Chapter 5

Smeet returned with the supplies quickly. Within two days Jareth had a stack of books waiting in his study, and per his instructions, they were wrapped in thick brown paper. Looking at Sarah he was glad to see she was fully occupied in reading and listening to music on her electronic devices.

Still, he walked in front of the books to block her view as he unwrapped them. Muttering a spell over three of them, the words rearranged into something he knew she couldn't read. The glasses would be no help to her since they were designed only to reveal the contents of the library- and he didn't want her reading these books.

The rest were written about a variety of Aboveground parks and accompanied with luscious pictures of each one. He hoped they would help him shape their park to her satisfaction. Perhaps they could even take a few expeditions to Aboveground ones so Sarah could further recommend things that she thought the goblins- no, the kingdom needed.

And Jareth figured, he could take the opportunity to observe Aboveground couples and what their courting techniques were like. He was no stranger to sex- and had often woke to a different beauty every morning, except that Fae didn't court like humans did. Most marriages were for political reasons- combining of kingdoms, gaining more land or resources, alliances, and the like. Since he was still considered young for his kind (only 3,000 years old), he had yet to be called upon by the High Court to start marriage negotiations.

Not that he planned on marrying Sarah of course. For now, all he wanted to do was bed her and possess her love. A niggling in his mind however said that commonplace Fae techniques wouldn't work on her. Fae didn't think of sex as sacred act necessarily. No, they gave and took freely and regularly amongst each other.

And he noticed that things had changed for him. Ever since she started dreaming of him- he found no other woman could fully sate him. Troubled by this, he even went out of his way to find Fae who resembled her. However, no matter how many games they played, or rounds that were had, he would find himself physically exhausted, but his lust fully intact.

Frankly, he was tired of it.

Taking the remaining books over to Sarah, he interrupted her and handed them to her. "What's this?" she asked reading the titles.

"If my subjects want a park, I intend on giving them the best." He walked around behind her chair to look over her shoulder.

She craned her head back to look up at him. "You're actually serious about this?"

"Why wouldn't I be?" he chided. "I have to take care of my kingdom above everything else." He leaned forward, and opened the top book. "Now, what do you think of this one?"

Sarah looked at the page. "That's Central Park in New York City." Her eyes flitted over the aerial view. "One of the biggest parks in the United States, I believe."

He moved closer so that strands of their hair- light and dark mingled playfully. His cheek was a hairsbreadth away from hers. "Have you ever gone?" he asked so softly, that she tilted her face closer to his to hear him properly brushing his cheek with hers in the process. _So soft,_ her mind sighed.

"Once, when I was very young. My Mother- my real mother, Linda and Dad took me there after we visited the Natural History Museum." She stroked the page of the book lovingly. "I remember chasing the ducks."

"Would you like to go back?" he came around the chair and perched lightly on its arm.

"I suppose," Sarah was confused at his invitation. _What's he playing at?_ "But I thought…?" she raised her wrist to show off the ever-present bracelet.

Jareth chuckled in amusement. "That we were stuck here aside from Wished Aways?" She nodded.

"No, we're just stuck together. I can take us anywhere we wish to go."

 _Oh,_ Sarah's mind burbled with possibilities, the strongest of which was to see her family again- to see Toby again. Even though it had only been a few weeks, she missed them terribly. Excitement filled her until she realized that by doing that, they'd probably negate Jareth's 'Status Spell' as he called it **.** Pausing her life so that no one would miss her. While she couldn't practice magic, she had read plenty of his books on magic and knew if someone who wasn't supposed to be missed, showed up out of nowhere, then there was a chance that the illusion he had spun would shatter. Her shoulders slumped slightly at the thought and he didn't miss the movement.

"Sarah," he took her hand that had curled into a fist on top of the glossy page. "While we shouldn't interact with them directly, we can see them from a distance."

Her eyes shot to his and a brilliant smile filled her face. The kind of smile he wished she'd bestow upon him. "We can?"

"Yes," he assured.

They spent the rest of the afternoon amicably discussing various parks and plotting out which ones to visit first.

****  
Later that night, when they were both tucked into bed, Jareth cracked open one of the bespelled books he didn't want Sarah reading. The original English text was something along the lines of _Dating for Dummies_. Frowning at this (as he figured himself no dummy), he dived in, starting at the section appropriately titled Boy Meets Girl.

Sarah was on her side of the bed playing a game of Solitaire. She had her cards laid out in neat rows and all she needed was a two of hearts to win, which wasn't going to happen. Giving a frustrated groan, she scrapped the game and started over- hoping this one would be a better deal.

With each snick of the cards being placed in line, Jareth found his concentration pulled from the book again and again. Snick, snick, snick. "Whatever are you doing?" he asked a little harsher than intended.

"Playing Solitaire," she snicked another card in place.

"Solitaire," he frowned snapping the book shut and laying it in his lap. "I'm afraid I'm not familiar." He leaned on the pillow barrier to get a better look. "Fae love games, you know. Of all sorts," he watched her continue to make neat columns of cards and noticed that they were all face down except for the very bottom ones.

"Really?" Sarah stopped laying the cards out. Thinking _what harm could it do,_ she thusly taught Jareth Solitaire.

After observing a few rounds, he pointed out, "But you play by yourself. What's the fun in that?"

She shuffled the cards and handed them to him. "It's a puzzle, I guess. Mental activity," she shrugged. "Would you like to try?"

He did, but he also wanted to continue interacting with her- learning from her. "Do you know any card games we can both play?"

She scrunched her nose in concentration. "Well, there's Go Fish- that one is Toby's favorite… War which is fun and Poker which-" She cut herself short at that suggestion seeing as how the last time she played poker it was strip kind in college. She blushed at the memory, but quickly exclaimed, "Let's go with War." Waving at Jareth to get him to sit up, she removed the pillows between them and scooted over to sit across from him.

"1, 2, 3, 4, I declare a war!" They chanted out as they flipped over their determining cards. "Ha," he chuckled. "King beats four. I win," he scooped the pile of cards over to his side.

Handing hers over, she asked, "Do Fae play cards?"

Jareth idly started shuffling them. "We do but they're not any games you'd be familiar with."

Grabbing a pillow Sarah stretched out on her side watching his hands hypnotically shuffle and reshuffle the cards. She noticed that he wasn't wearing his customary gloves. Come to think of it, he never wore them at night. "You're not wearing your gloves," she observed.

"Hmm?" He was so used to taking them off at night that he didn't even notice the difference. "They act as a conduit to my magic. I can still perform it without them, but it works better with them. See?" He stopped shuffling and produced a crystal in his right hand. While it looked normal enough, she noted that it wasn't as clear as the ones he usually made. _Well, that explains that,_ she thought. Banishing it, he resumed shuffling.

"What about friends? Do you have any friends?" In truth, she had only seen him interact with other Faes during adoptions or from visits from neighboring kingdoms.

"We don't keep friends per say," he answered carefully

"Hmm, all business then?" She was feeling drowsy and relaxed- it was another late night.

Jareth laughed lightly. "You could say that."

"Must be lonely," her voice was slightly slurred at the end as sleep took her.

Jareth stilled his movements and just gazed upon her. "You have no idea," he whispered.

Placing the book and cards on his bookcase, Jareth ever so gently scooped the girl up in his arms and rearranged her on the bed so she was sleeping on it properly. He didn't bother with putting her pillow barrier back in place.

****  
Sarah woke later feeling warm and safe like she was wrapped in a cocoon. Her head was rising and falling gently- rhythmically with her pillow. _Hmm, I don't remember my pillow moving_. The sleep slid from her eyes as she focused on the scene before her lifting her head a little to get a better look. It wasn't the normal view of the messy birds' nest of hair on the pillow next to her- no instead, she could see all the way to the bathroom entrance. That was weird but not weird enough to cause concern to her sleepy mind. Plus, she was warm and the bed felt softer. She relaxed and let her eyes close falling quickly back into sleep.

The slight movement woke Jareth from his own slumber and he wrapped his arms around her tighter. _Much better than any dream._ He snuggled further into the bedding and let his eyes flutter shut, smile on his thin lips.

Later that morning Sarah woke again. She still felt warm and safe but instead of being wrapped in a cocoon, she felt a presence against her back, and something heavy slung over her waist. Again, she was about to dismiss the oddity of this until she felt warm breath against the back of her neck, fluttering the hairs at the nape.

Her eyes shot open. Spooing _._ They were spooing. How were they spooning- what about the? She had moved it and they were talking, and then… she fell asleep. But how did she end up like this? She gasped- _he must have moved me._ Twisting so that she faced him, she put her hands on his chest and tried to push herself out of his grasp. A part of her mind squealed with joy at finally touching such a tantalizing object. Warm and firm- just as she thought it would be.

Instead of loosening his grip, he pulled her tighter against him until her arms were trapped between their bodies _. Well, shit, now what am I going to do?_ _Oh!_ She sniffed. _He smells good- like fresh cut trees and snow. At least he doesn't have an ere-_ but that thought was cut off as Jareth stirred. Blinking sleepily, he smiled and ducking his head slightly, kissed her on the mouth.

Sarah stilled at the contact. It wasn't a deep kiss or even a lover's kiss- just a chaste one on the lips. And it was wonderful. _Better than any of my dreams_ , she decided quickly.

After a moment, he pulled back and observed the surprised woman in his arms. With merriment dancing in his eyes, he said, "Good morning to you too," and openly laughed as Sarah's mouth opened and closed repeatedly like a fish as she tried to form words.

She finally settled on, "Glittery Ass," as he let her go and she scooted to the far end of the bed.

"Now, Sarah," he purred, deciding to tease her a little more. "You know very well that my ass isn't glittery, but I'd be happy to give you an up-close look if you doubt it."

She responded with hitting him in the face with a pillow.

To her credit, Sarah didn't have a complete mental freakout like she had with him stripping in the bathroom. She only achieved this by rationalizing that _he was half-asleep and probably thought I was someone else._ That was until the part of her brain- the one that suggested that she stay in the bathroom and see if he measured up snidely reminded her that _he laughed at you_.

Sarah hadn't quite figured out how to kill that part of her brain.

****  
Over the next few days, they visited various parks and copied (by way of magic crystal) components that they both liked. The last stop was the park Sarah remembered playing in when she was younger. Jareth had arranged it on purpose since he knew that the rest of the Williams Family would be visiting that day.

Seeing as how they were visiting Aboveground, and it wasn't a Retrieval, Jareth toned his look down by taming his bouffant hair into a low ponytail wearing black jeans and a long-sleeved t-shirt instead of his customary Underground clothing. Keeping his boots, and gloves, he added a black leather bomber jacket which completed his ensemble. While Sarah opted for jeans, a camel colored top, and walking shoes.

It was a warm spring day and so there were lots of things to observe: human couples and objects to point out and discuss. Jareth kept his people watching and cataloging to himself but openly chatted about everything else that caught Sarah's eye.

Cresting a moderate hill, they could see about 90% of the park stretched out below them. "Oh, there's the stone monolith near the pond, see it?" Sarah pointed excitedly and scanned the area for more things. Familiar trees, the walking path, and there, on the other side of the pond was her family. Tearing her eyes away she bestowed him that smile- the one he secretly coveted and made his heart feel light.

He didn't wait for her to get the full five feet away before grabbing her hand, "Sarah, remember if they see you, things could go awry."

"Oh, yeah," she murmured but made the best of things, by settling on the top of the hill to watch them with Jareth sitting beside her. Karen and Robert had laid out a blanket with a picnic lunch strewn upon it while Toby played with a small fluffy dog. Sarah scowled. Had she really been gone that long? From what she understood, he had paused her life. She turned towards him and was about to ask when he answered as though he could read her mind.

"I paused your life, Sarah. Just yours. When (if) you return, things will carry on like they had with no one missing your presence. Like a blip in their memories."

With her question answered, Sarah refocused her attention back on the scene before them. At first, she could only pick up the yips and yaps of the dog and Toby's laughter whenever the wind blew them their way, except now she could hear them clearly, but couldn't see them. "Oh, no," she moaned, and just as she stood up to have them move away, the little fluffy dog happily loped up to them panting and wagging his tail. It was a sheepdog puppy.

Thinking quickly, Jareth formed a crystal and dropped it, effectively releasing the spell to alter their appearance to Toby who wasn't far behind the dog. Blonde curls bounded up over the hill, Toby's laughter was breathless with the effort.

Sarah, not knowing that their appearance had changed, just stood there with her head bowed hoping he wouldn't recognize her. She heard Jareth greet Toby with a jovial, "Hello, young man. I like your dog. What's his name?" Out of options she slowly resumed her place seated beside him.

Gulping, Sarah looked to see that Jareth was rubbing the puppy's belly. He looked different- plainer less otherworldly. Like an everyman- no defining features. But that didn't matter, Toby wouldn't remember him.

"Second," Toby said proudly puffing out his eight-year-old chest.

Jareth quirked an eyebrow. "That's an interesting name. Tell me- is yours that interesting?"

Second trotted over and sniffed Sarah's shoes. She reached out and scratched him behind the ears. The name of course made sense to her since he was most likely Merlin the Second.

"Toby," the child replied sitting cross legged in front of Jareth and playing with a few blades of grass. "What's yours?"

"Jay," he smiled, and nodded towards Sarah, "and this is Mia, my friend."

"Hi Mia," Toby tilted his head to the side looking at her. "You kinda look like my sister- 'cept she has black hair and yours is brown," he observed.

"Really," Sarah breathed relieved and instantly knew Jareth was behind the deceit. "I had a dog like yours once. His name was M- Max."

"Oh, well I like Second better," he giggled as the dog wandered back to his master and started licking his fingers.

"Toby!" Robert cried out from the bottom of the hill. "Lunch is ready."

"OK! Come on Second." He waved at Jareth and Sarah and disappeared back down the hill with the dog happily trailing him.

Sarah let out a breath she hadn't realized she had been holding. "Thank you," she found his hand with hers and squeezed it.

* * *

Disclaimer: Jareth and Sarah belong to Jim Henson and Co.

AN: Not that exciting of a chapter but it builds their relationship a little. Also, I don't know how plausible it is for Jareth to be reading dating books and playing human card games, but the visuals made me smile.

Also not sure if Jareth's motives are realistic. Comments/feedback would be appreciated.

With this update, the schedule goes back normal- so expect one next week.


	6. Chapter 6

"There," Jareth said leaning back in his chair satisfied. "Does it look finished to you?" He looked over the table at Sarah who was scrutinizing their design of a miniature model of their park.

"Yes. What happens next?" She nudged a tree to the left.

"Next, we carry the model over to the empty field and let it sit overnight. By morning the park should be fully formed."

"Is that how all things are made here? She didn't remember reading anything about landscaping or building construction in the Underground, and hadn't thought to ask about it until now.

"Some," he toyed with a tiny stone monolith- an exact replica of the one at Sarah's park. "Other things are formed byhuman's dreams. Like the Cleaners," he grinned devilishly." "Remember those? They were formed from your imagination."

"And you set them on me!" She said indignantly. Once he told her of its origin, it made sense- she had a poster of a similar contraption in her childhood bedroom.

"You were getting too far. I had to do something," he defended himself.

"Yeah, like try to kill me," she grumbled.

"Sarah," he leaned over the table to look straight into her eyes. "You were never in any danger. Have you not realized that by now?"

She crossed her arms over her chest and leaned back in her chair- away from him. "I suppose now, I do, but they were frightening. You were frightening."

Setting the stone monolith down, he picked up the scaled down slide and walked his fingers up and down its steps. "Do you still find me frightening?" he quietly asked, not quite looking at her.

"I- no," she stammered. "No, you don't frighten me. At least like you had back-"

Smeet appeared in the doorway interrupting them. "My King, my Lady," he bowed to each in turn. "This just arrived for you," he handed a tightly wound scroll to Jareth, and bowing once more turned on his heel and left.

Jareth scowled at the scroll as he read its contents. What was written wasn't the cause of his glower, it was that the moment and the mood were broken. _Damn, I wanted to know I how I frighten her now._

Stuffing the scroll into a drawer at his desk and deciding to let the subject drop (for now), he gave a playful tug at the cord. "Let's go," he nodded at the model.

****  
They took a detour on the way back to the castle through his gardens. Which were lovely with vibrant colors from a vast multitude of flowers surrounding them. The air was sweet with their perfume. Sarah, though, took little notice in the beauty around her and was instead quiet. She was busy trying to wrap her brain around the Fae at her side. Why did he have to be so capricious? Most of the time, he was engaging and sweet- gentlemanly. Heck, he even bent his own rules (or was it the rules of the Underground?) and let her interact with Toby. (Or maybe he had no choice since he had come up to them.) Anyhow, it didn't matter- it was a wonderful gift he had unintentionally give her.

And there were times- times like that day in the bathroom when he practically oozed sex. And ever since she found herself snuggled into him and then he kissed her- well she knew he wanted her. But the question remained- did she want him. She enjoyed the idea of him (obviously) but the real flesh and blood him? Would she be forever doomed if she gave in?

She thought back to the kiss. It was sweet and simple, but still held a heavy promise of more. Sarah kicked a pebble that was in their path and looked at his profile. Maybe she could trust him. Maybe her earlier revelation was correct- he wasn't trying to trap her. Just get reacquainted with her in an unconventional way. He wasn't human, she had to remember, and so far, she couldn't find any Fae social guidelines beyond how to act when presented in court functions.

Maybe he was interacting with her with the best of his knowledge. How much did he know about humans anyhow?

Well, and there was the whole deal with their bathing situation. The current setup wasn't going to cut it anymore. Sighing she decided deal with that at least.

"We need to talk," was all she said.

Jareth groaned internally. Even he knew those words meant no good. "About what?"

"The bathroom. Turning one's, back isn't sufficient."

For the past week or so, it had been sufficient enough- they had gone about their daily ablutions with only slight awkwardness. Why he had only flashed her once (or twice) when climbing into the tub.

"Sarah, how old are you?" he asked as he stopped them at a high wall.

"24, but that doesn't have anything to do with-"

"And in those 24 years, you've never been around a naked man?" He walked towards her slowly causing Sarah to unconsciously step back until her back was pressed against the wall. Stopping inches from her he leaned forward bracing himself with one hand near her head.

Sarah looked around, trying to find an exit. "Well, yes, I have- but that's different."

She was about to dodge left when he braced his hand on the other side effectively caging her in. "How?" he asked quietly, dangerously.

She looked into his eyes which also spoke danger. Defiantly she said, "I was involved with them. That's how."

He leaned closer, letting his hair bush her cheek as he whispered into her ear, "You could be involved with me." Neither of them moved and the air grew thick as he waited for an answer, a snide remark, anything. When she gave none, he straightened and strode off, pulling her behind him.

 _Let her chew on that._ Part of him said, while the other, more rational part was calling him a _fucking idiot_. Resisting the urge to run his fingers through his hair in frustration he marched on, not slowing down even after she protested. Didn't the book say to take things slow and build a friendship before attempting anything further? Things had been progressing nicely (for once) if slowly. And now he had to go and screw things up. It was just that he liked waking up with her in his arms and wished it to be a regular occurrence, but the damned pillows went right back in place the following evening.

They didn't talk much for the rest of the day, but by evening, Sarah found a thick curtain floating in place around the toilet. Only the toilet. The bath remained unchanged.

They lay stiffly side by side: Him reading and Sarah doing her best to ignore his presence.

Ugh! There he went with the capricious thing again. And it wasn't like her dreams were leading him on anymore. Sarah hadn't had a sex dream about him lately. In fact, her current dreams revolved around her being the hapless ballerina trying to live up to his expectations. The best she could make from it was that she need to be free of ropes before being able to please him. Please him how- that's the part she didn't understand.

Glancing over at Sarah who was facing away from him Jareth wondered if he should he apologize for earlier. No, he decided quickly, he shouldn't. The Goblin King did not apologize. Turning back to his book he noticed that while most of it was common sense, one phrase did jump out at him.

 **One cannot build a relationship on lies. Open communication and trust from the start are the best way to lay a sound foundation.**

 _Hmm… that's interesting._ He didn't know humans valued such things. But still, it was not what he wanted. Skimming through the rest of the book and not seeing anything useful, he shut it with a sigh. Ridiculous how humans must write books about this. _No,_ his mind corrected him, _ridiculous how I'm reading something like this._

They each settled into an uneasy sleep.

****  
Fae didn't dream- at least not in the way humans did. Jareth mostly saw darkness with flashes of multicolored light while he slept. Never mind when he visited Runner's dreams. For those, he was half awake and let the magic guide him to find what he needed.

When he 'dreamed' it was in reality his relatives communicating with him. Every 20,000 years or so each Fae were given a choice: molt their humanoid bodies and become something akin to spirts or fully take on their animal form.

Jareth had witnessed the ceremony a few times. His great grandfather opted for his animal form (a slug which Jareth considered most unfortunate), while his eccentric great aunt took the sprit option. One of the advantages of being a spirit, was that they could communicate openly with relatives and descendants in a dreamlike setting.

While one of the advantages of being in their animal form was… well, Jareth really didn't know- he had never heard any updates from the family members who picked that option.

He hadn't thought much about what he would pick when his time came. Except that he had been told time and again that he was very lucky that his form was a barn owl.

So, instead of seeing darkness as Jareth closed his eyes, he was instantly dropped into a tropical jungle. The air was steamy and thick- he had no doubt that his hair was at least twice as big as usual. Within a few minutes his silk shirt was stuck to his chest and back.

Great Aunt Victoria. She always picked this setting. However, he had no idea why since she always appeared to him as small green garden snake. They didn't exist in the jungle, did they? When was the last time she spoke with him? A 100 years ago when the Underground decided to play their version of Olympic Games? Jareth smiled. Yes, that was it. Great Aunt Vi (as she was known) had warned Jareth about the Goblin Kingdom participating in the first and last Underground Olympic Games.

Despite her 'helpful' objections, he went ahead with the plan and had spent the better part of a decade cleaning charred chicken feathers out of his Labyrinth as a result.

He wandered around in the scene waiting for her to appear. Just as he was about to sniff an exotic purple flower, he felt something touch his boot. Looking down he saw the emerald jewel toned snake slither across his boot and wrap itself around his ankle.

"Great Aunt Vi," he greeted warmly. Bending down he offered his hand to her and she coiled herself around his gloved fingers.

A small, pink forked tinge darted out in an air kiss. "Jareth," she greeted just as warmly. "How'ss thingss?" Her voice, like his, was honeyed and accented; words flowed easily and silkily.

"You know very well how things are. I have no doubt you've been keeping an eye," he stroked her head. "Why is it you always come to me as this? I know you can appear human if you wish."

"Thiss form is more sslimming," she curled around his wrist and flicked her tongue at him.

"Ah. So," he found a flat rock and sat sensing that this would be a long conversation. "What have I done, or not done, or am going to do that you disapprove of?" He brought his wrist up to look at her closely.

"The girl. The mortal girl, Ssarah iss it? You're never going to bed her with the way you're going about thingss- you incompetent oaf!"

 _Well,_ he thought, _at least she doesn't mince words._

"Vi," he said with a slight warning tone to his voice, "It's best that you don't mettle in things like this. I know what I'm doing."

She had slithered further until she was curled on his shoulder. Tongue tickling his ear as she spoke, "Do you? It doessn't look like it from here."

"I am just taking a different approach is all. She is human you know, they need to be handled delicately."

"If by delicate you mean you put on an impromptu sstrip sshow in your bathroom and then propossition her in the garden." She bit his ear in chastisement- yet still mindful of her fangs. "Whatever happened to courting and-?"

"Vi, we don't court like they do. We just enjoy nocturnal activities until the High Court decides it's time to pair us off. You know this."

She climbed up his neck and twined herself into his pale hair- resting on his head like a crown.

"What makess her different? If you had wanted her sso badly- you would have taken her by now," she pointed out.

He glanced up but could not see her. "She's human."

"Sso. Fae have bedded and wedded humanss for centuries," she paused gentling her tone. "Nephew… do you love her? Thiss Ssarah?"

"What?" He felt his whole body stiffen in surprise. "An absurd accusation," he huffed, feeling a bead of sweat trickle down his back. He never remembered sweating in these discussions before.

Vi ignored him and continued. "Does sshe love you?"

Jareth relaxed, slightly confused at her change in direction. "Yes, I believe so. She dreams of me nightly."

"Humanss don't put as much weight in dreamss like we do. Hass sshe told you?"

"No, I never asked."

"Assk," she slithered down the other side of his neck and wound herself around his right wrist where his bracelet usually sat. She then spoke the words he had read earlier "'Open communication and trusst from the sstart are the besst way to lay a sound foundation.' If sshe means to you what I think sshe does- you need to quit playing gamess, come clean, and sstart over."

The dream went black and Jareth saw no more until morning when he woke to Sarah shaking him. "It's four feet. Why is it four feet?" she demanded.

* * *

Disclaimer: Jareth and Sarah belong to Jim Henson and Co.

AN: I noticed (I don't know if anybody else has) that my Jareth & Sarah are inconsistent in their thoughts/feelings/motives. I am working to smooth everything out and put things in order (even changing bits and pieces here and there in previous chapters).

And my reasons? This has evolved into something much larger that I ever thought it would. I do have an ending in mind, but I'm still finding my way to it.

Also, I'm currently stuck on the next chapter. *sigh*. But I am seeing Labyrinth in theaters on Sunday- hopefully it'll be inspiring.

Thoughts, comments, & suggestions are welcome in reviews or PMs.


	7. Chapter 7

Warning: This chapter contains depictions of domestic violence.

* * *

Sarah watched as Jareth jolted awake- the sleep clearing from his eyes. "Why is it four feet?" she snarled at him.

"Why is what four feet?" his voice deep and muddled with sleep.

"The cord- the cord is four feet!" Her voice was starting to climb in shrillness and she was still shaking him even though he was fully awake. _It's far too early for this,_ he groused internally, and quickly before Sarah could react, he flipped them over and straddled her waist effectively pinning her into place.

She laid there for a minute thoroughly confused at their sudden position change- a pillow from her wall wedged underneath her tilted her pelvis up just so. Twisting, she tried to buck him off. "Let me go," she pushed against his chest but he didn't budge. Struggling in earnest, and using his unmoving form to push herself up on the bed, Sarah unfortunately only achieved hitting her head against the solid headboard.

 _For the love of-_ she felt the tender spot on top of her head. _His weight does feel nice though,_ the treacherous part of her mind gleefully pointed out. _Oh, shut up,_ she snapped at it. _This is neither the time nor the place._

 _Looks like the right place to me and you could make it the right time,_ it sang.

Bemusedly, Jareth watched a myriad of conflicted feelings and thoughts flit across her face. Even miffed, she was absolutely captivating. Dark hair spread across her pillow chest heaving and face flushed from her earlier struggle. Why she almost looked like she had been thoroughly shagged. And one of her pillows from her little wall was wedged in a way that it created delicious friction between them- it was almost bliss.

After catching her breath a bit, Sarah tried squirming out from under him again. This time, instead of letting her try (and fail), Jareth snatched her hands in his and pinned them above her head. Leaning down, he pressed his chest against hers and growled out, "If you continue your incessant wriggling, I won't be responsible for my actions."

Her breathing hitched and her movements stilled as his words set in. "Then let me go," she said coolly, avoiding eye contact.

"No, I rather like you like this," he grinned cheekily sitting up slightly, "besides, you are being irrational."

"Irrational!" She sputtered trying to tear her hands from his, her eyes flicking to his, "The freaking cord is four feet."

"And why couldn't you wait to tell me until morning?" he asked, rubbing the bridge of his nose with his free hand.

"It **IS** morning!" Breaking her left hand free from his grasp, she swung wildly missing his nose by inches.

"Ah, ah, ah," he deftly snatched her wayward hand out of the air kissing the back of it before pinning it back in place. "I really don't think you're in any _position_ to be swinging at me." He settled himself more firmly atop her. "Now, all this means," he waved his bracelet in her face where it glinted in the moonlight, "is that another time limit is up. It's nothing to worry about my Precious Sarah." He brushed her hair out of her eyes.

"How many times do I have to tell you not to call me that?" she groused.

He grinned, again clearly enjoying himself. "How about 'Pet?' or 'Princess?' Sarah does mean princess you know. It'll be quite fitting."

 _Seriously? What goes on in his handsome head?_ Ignoring him, she instead asked, "What do we do when it shrinks to zero feet?"

Jareth leaned close again and brushed the side of her nose with his, lips hovering inches over hers. "Become very familiar with each other." He half-teased and closed his eyes, and just as he was about to close the gap and kiss her- truly kiss her, a thunderous bell sounded throughout the room signaling that someone had been Wished Away.

****  
Being invisible had its advantages, Sarah decided. She was largely left alone by Jareth since he was dealing with the latest Runner, and it gave her ample time to assess things (for the millionth time), The true bonus was that he couldn't see her flip him off and stick her tongue out at him (she hoped- she never quite knew with him). The radius was shrinking and their world was shrinking because of it.

 _Four feet is no big deal. It's an incredibly big deal!_ She scoffed. And what in the hell did he mean by 'becoming very familiar with each other' when it reached zero? Was that a threat... _a promise?_ Whatever it was, it made her groin feel tingly and warm. This was definitely not place for that. _Must refocus-_ i _f I can't force it off or research the answer… then what's left?_ Maybe the spell will end when it reaches zero? _No, that can't be right- there had to be a culmination, right?_ How did most spells get resolved? She thought back to all the fairy-tale stories she loved reading as a child. True love's kiss, yes, that's what broke most of the spells.

Sarah started to laugh at the idea, but quickly caught herself before the Runner noticed. Besides, Jareth had already kissed her and they were still entwined **.** _So, that leads me back to… the start._ Sighing (softly), she focused on the boy in front of them. What was his name, Drake? Sarah listened to Jareth hypnotic in both voice and swirling crystals, trying to tempt the boy to take his dreams in exchange for not one but two younger siblings- identical twins. Shouldn't he get twice the dreams for that kind of trade?

12-year-old Drake was incredibly tempted. He reached out and almost touched the glowing orb, swirling with flashes of images in its mist, but stopped just shy of doing so. "What'll happen to them?" he tore his eyes away from the crystal and looked straight into Jareth's, challenging him.

"They'll be provided for," the Fae said evenly- truthfully, although the child didn't know it.

Again, Drake reached out for his dreams and again he paused. "And my parents?"

"Will have no memory of them. None of you will."

As soon as Drake touched the orb, Sarah and Jareth were thrust back into the castle beyond the Goblin City- landing squarely in his throne room. With a snap of his gloved fingers, the invisibility spell lifted. And Jareth began pacing thoughtfully- or tried to since Sarah was leaning against his throne watching him. "It's been ages since we've got twins. A rare prize indeed. Now where to put them?" he mused.

Smeet sidled up to the Fae, pacing alongside as he unfurled a scroll and poised a quill over it- anticipating his liege's orders. "See if the Macklin's would be interested in the twins. Is everything ready for the park dedication today?"

She groaned and dropped her head into her hands. The dedication- she had forgotten. Sarah had hoped that after what had happened this morning, Jareth would cloister himself- themselves- in his study and she'd be able to curl up in a chair and nap. Obviously, that wasn't going to happen and today was going to be extremely long.

And it was. Between the goblins dismissing the proper name (they quickly dubbed it Lady's Green Place), breaking up a turf war between the chickens and ducks, and trying to figure out how in the hell the goblins had managed to set the slide on fire, they had missed both breakfast and lunch.

Starving and covered in soot, they collapsed under a shade tree observing the damage from a distance. The slide was still smoldering and a few of the chickens were herded away from the pond by the ducks. "Here," Jareth unceremoniously shoved a small crystal into Sarah's hand, it into a plate of bread and cheese as soon as she touched it. Scattering a few more on the grass around them which in turn transformed into a variety of foodstuffs, they ate in silence.

"You have feathers in your hair," she observed, nibbling on a piece of cheese.

"Hmm?" he patted his head but couldn't feel any.

"No, here," Sarah set down her plate and scooting over, plucked the feathers out. His normally clean blonde hair was grey and dull with soot and ash. Its overall fluffiness hadn't diminished much- the errand feathers only adding to it.

"There," Sarah briefly showed him the feathers before a light wind blew them from her hand and she watched them dance in the air as she finished her supper.

The sun was setting slowly, casting an orange glow to all beneath it and stars were slowly dotting the sky above. Had it really grown that late in the day? Sarah sipped at her water. She used to drink quite regularly when she had been in her proper place, in the Above. However, ever since she got caught up in all this- she daren't drink, deciding it was safer to keep her mind clear.

"Do your subjects usually have a propensity for starting fires?" Sarah scanned the plates for something sweet for dessert. Spying only sliced peaches, and wrinkling her nose in distaste, she gave up her perusal.

Turning towards her, Jareth chuckled at her obvious discomfort. "You'd be surprised what they've done over the years. Although, setting a solid steel slide on fire is unprecedented- even for them." He popped a peach slice into his mouth and watched as Sarah blanched slightly. He would have continued to bait her except that damn bell rang again- the second time in a day- signaling yet another Runner.

****  
Jareth hadn't the foggiest idea why Wishing Away had become so popular as of late. The normal ratio was 1 out of every 25 or so that had had potential. And as the Goblin King, he had never encountered two Wished Aways in a single day.

He stood and offered his hand to Sarah in assistance. Using magic, he cleared the makeshift picnic and rendered them both clean. Changing his clothing to something more appropriate, and turning Sarah invisible, they yet again set off for the Above.

As soon as Jareth orientated himself he knew why this wish had been made. _Strange, her dreams never indicated this kind of situation._ He looked around the dank room for the Runner, and in seeing nobody, jerked his head towards the doorway knowing that Sarah would follow close behind.

The house was in a deplorable state- dark stains streaked the walls, and bits of carpet had been eaten bare by who knows what. Mice and roaches peeked out from beneath a sagging couch when they passed by in search of the Runner.

Hearing Sarah gasp as they walked into the kitchen, he knew they'd found her. The woman, in her mid-30s, with matted brown hair lay in a heap on the cracked tile floor. Her body, bent and used, broken beyond repair, was motionless except for labored breathing. Only her eyes tracked him, lighting with hope upon realizing who it was. "You came," she smiled weakly, the motion causing the dry blood to flake from her lips. "Is he-?"

Jareth crouched down, lightly cupping the woman's cheek. "He is safe, my dear," he said with great gentleness. "I give you my word, he will be loved and cared for forever."

"Forever." She closed her eyes and took a deep shuddering breath. "Thank you." Turning her head, she kissed his gloved palm in gratitude.

He smiled, but it wasn't sly or teasing like his normal ones. No, this smile held unimaginable sadness as he understood exactly what kind of a life she had lived. Without his usual bravado or theatrics, Jareth formed a crystal in his hand, "I've brought you a gift." Picking up her hand which had been curled across her stomach in a defensive gesture, he prepared to hand it to her.

"No! It is enough that he is safe," she struggled to sit up- to move away. "I cannot ask for anything else."

Jareth took a deep steadying breath; these kinds of Collections were always hard. "I insist, Monica," he whispered using her name for the first time. "For whatever will I tell Johnny when he asks of you?" he held her tired gaze with his pleading eyes. "My wish is for him to grow up knowing that his mother did not give him up because he was unwanted- no, she loved him so much that she ensured his happiness and freedom from… this life." He squeezed her hand. "And that she, too, is happy and free. Will you not grant me my wish?" he implored.

After a long moment she squeezed back and accepted the bauble.

Unlike the other accepted dreams, they witnessed this one take shape. The light from the crystal grew until it was all they could see- causing both Jareth and Sarah to turn their faces away. When it finally faded, Monica was no longer there- in her place was a bluebird. It took flight, singing gaily in Jareth's direction, before turning its attention to where Sarah stood. Sarah gasped- she could see her. She lifted her palm, and the bird alighted seemingly in midair for a few seconds, its happy tune increasing in volume before taking off into the night through a broken window.

As soon as the bird left, Sarah sat hard on the filthy floor, her legs no longer able to bear her weight- sobs overcoming and wracking her body. Her mind refused to process what she just saw, instead concentrating on _why we were still here?_ And _shouldn't we have gone home by now?_ "Sarah?" Jareth gently touched her arm ending the spell. She was visibly pale and shaking. "Sarah," he said again gathering her into his arms. "It's okay. They're both safe," he rested his chin on top of her head and rocked them gently.

Burrowing her face into his chest, she hugged him tightly and continued to cry. "I-I've heard these kinds of calls so many times at work. But seeing it…"

"Shhh," he soothed rubbing her back. "I know, sweetheart, I know." And, carefully standing with her cradled against his chest, he returned them home.

They appeared in the throne room, which was deserted. He knew that he should take them straight to their chamber and to bed, but he wanted to rest- if just for a moment, and settled them on his throne. _Just a little bit-_ he was so tired. He looked down at Sarah who had fallen asleep in the instant it took to transport them. Jareth held her tighter, "just a little rest…"

Sarah woke up hours later to sunshine, blonde hair tickling her nose, and feeling stiff all over. "What?" They were in the throne room curled up together in his throne and Jareth was snoring. "Oh," she murmured. The Wished Away. Images from last night assaulted her and she felt her body grow cold at the horror of it: the dilapidated house, the broken woman, the sacrifice. A situation like that had never crossed her mind before- that someone would selflessly wish their child away, not even knowing for sure if it would be granted. A wave of nausea hit her as she reflected on her own selfishness so many years ago.

Willing it away, she stood stretching the kinks out, and looked over at the Fae who had not only saved the child, but the woman as well. It was something he didn't have to do- she knew that. He could have just taken the child and left the woman to her sad fate.

But he didn't- and that changed everything.

And the way he handled it- he let the woman know, under no uncertain terms, that everything was going to be okay. That he truly cared for their well-being. God only knew how many times he'd encountered that exact same situation before.

Sarah felt a happy warmth spread throughout her body- pushing away the cold. Wanting to share this happiness, she walked back over on silent feet and crawled onto the throne- careful not to disturb him. Taking his face into her hands she kissed him with one thought on her mind, _I could love him._

* * *

Disclaimer: Jareth and Sarah belong to Jim Henson and Co.

AN: I know they spend a lot of time sleeping, dreaming, introspectively thinking. I'm trying to get them out more, but those are the only places where things can be revealed without them telling one another.

Thoughts, comments, & suggestions are welcome in reviews or PMs.


	8. Chapter 8

Warning: More depictions of domestic violence.

* * *

Instead of seeing darkness when Jareth shut his eyes and gave into his exhaustion, he was immediately dropped into a Japanese tea house. Testing the scene, he quickly determined that this was a visit from family; not a potential Runner's reconnaissance. But which family member, that was the question.

Seeing as how he had nothing better to do but wait for them to arrive, he sat behind a wooden counter that looked out onto a well-maintained garden. It was serene and relaxing- a pond with a waterfall babbled softly with koi fish swimming around happily.

A breeze blew in through the window, carrying with it the scent of cherry blossoms and cool earth. "If this place really exists, I should bring Sarah to it," he sipped at a cup of tea that appeared in front of him.

"Darling," came a musical voice behind him. Turning towards it, he was shocked by the being it belonged to. It was Vi, only in her human form and not in the middle of the jungle. Jareth quickly gulped the rest of his tea, wishing it was something stronger. It was going to be another one of _those_ conversations.

"Vi," he rose and embraced the Fae kissing her cheek. She was in a word, elegance. Her emerald green gown shimmered in the light of the tea house much like the scales of her snake form had in previous visits. Hair neatly coiffed and face bare of any markings except for the same odd ones he bore around his eyes.

"Two visits in the same century, Aunt, whatever do I owe this pleasure?" he chuckled, "and in your human form." He offered her his seat, and settling next to her, poured them both fresh cups of tea.

"It's very hard to drink tea as a snake, but you wouldn't know that," she accepted the cup. "How is your owl form?"

Jareth studied the steam rising from his tea, he hadn't been able to change into an owl ever since this whole thing with Sarah started, and he missed it. "It's been fine." He changed the subject. "This place is lovely," he waved a hand indicating the space. "Wherever did you find it?"

"It's from America. Some place called San Francisco, I believe." Putting down her cup, she patted his arm and nodded towards the garden. "It is lovely out- walk with me?"

They strolled along a meandering path with her hand tucked into the crook of his arm, cherry blossoms flitting in the air like tiny pink fairies. "I see you've been progressing with your Sarah since I last saw you," she commented.

"Ah, yes?" Had he? Jareth thought... They seemed to be getting along well, and he was trying to keep himself in check. Never mind sitting on her this morning- that was to just get her to stop shaking him. And well, what happened with the latest Runner... He didn't save the woman because Sarah was there- no, whenever that situation came up during a Collection, he did his damnedest to help as many as he could.

The High Court largely frowned upon the Underground (Fae's in particular) in vastly influencing the human population. As they saw it, it was none of their business, and whatever wars had been fought, famines, or political disputes that were going on- those were purely for the humans to deal with- not them.

However, when Jareth took over as the Goblin King, he found a loophole. They didn't care if say a terminally ill parent who had Wished Away their child was turned into a bird, or a cat, a giraffe even- that kind of magic wasn't monitored.

So, he did it. Every time he was called into that kind of dire situation, he did it gladly, and expected nothing in return.

Aside from unfortunately exposing her to that, he supposed that things were good.

The path curved and wrapped around the koi pond. Vi stopped them to admire a particularly vibrant orange one. "Have you asked her yet?"

Dropping her hand, Jareth strode a few feet away. "I don't understand why you persist to ask these questions, when you know the answer," he grumbled.

"Just being polite," she lightly said dipping her hand into a hidden pocket of her dress and sprinkling breadcrumbs onto the water. The fish clustered around it- a frantic feeding frenzy ensued. "Jareth?" she asked, sly smile on her lips, "you're being rude- answer the question my dear."

He huffed, crossing his arms in front of his chest, unconsciously mimicking Sarah's favored gesture whenever she was annoyed. "No, I haven't."

"Then I take it you haven't told her?" she sprinkled more breadcrumbs for the fish to devour.

He rolled his eyes at this. "Of course not," he bit out turning his back on his Aunt.

 _Well, something must be done._ Vi reached once more into her hidden pocket and withdrew a thick hardback book. Stepping lightly over, she smacked Jareth squarely in the back of the head.

"What the bloody hell was that for?" he roared turning to face her, rubbing the sore spot.

"You needed some smarts pounded into that thick head of yours." She stuck the book back into her dress. "Ask her. Tell her. Don't defy me, Jareth."

He glared at her. Women. If they weren't fawning, then they were throwing things, or violently attacking him. He remembered one spurned lady vowing to kill him, but failing spectacularly at it. "I can't. It's not that I don't want to- I just can't."

"Why?" Vi plopped gracefully down on a nearby bench and smoothed her skirts.

Slowly Jareth came over and perched next to her, still rubbing his head. "She'll run from me. Despise me," he said softly closing his eyes.

Vi snorted. "She can't bloody well run from you with those bracelets in place. You are still tied together?"

"Yes, at four feet now. Things should be speeding up quickly, if I recall the spell correctly. We should be at two by the end of the week," he grinned at the prospect.

"And what happens when it reaches zero?" she wiped the grin off his face with her question.

Jareth gave her a long look. He didn't know to be honest. When crafting the thing, he figured they wouldn't have gotten to this point. Hell, he figured she'd tell him she loved him with in two maybe three days tops. It was going on for almost two months now. "I don't know," he admitted.

Vi took his hand in between both of hers. "Nephew. She will be angry with you at first-"

"But-" he began.

"Hush," she tapped his nose, "hear me out. She will be angry at first but if she loves you like you say she does. It should work out well in the end. Now, you said she dreamed of you. What sorts of dreams?"

Jareth told her how they evolved from mere suggestions of him into full-bodied love affairs. "It must mean something," he finished with certainty.

Vi laughed warmly, yet not unkindly. Such notions going on in her nephew's head. "And you think this speaks of love, Jareth?"

He nodded with a firm belief in his eyes.

"There is a way to, what is it- 'kill two birds with one stone?'" Vi cupped his cheek in her palm stroking his face with her thumb. "Directly interact with her dreams."

"What?" he pulled away, belief fading and confusion taking its place. He had known of such a thing, but had never tried it. Why couple with a figment of someone's imagination when the real thing was much more satisfying?

"She shouldn't notice anything amiss since you're already present, yes?" she straightened the frilly cuff of his sleeve.

"Correct," he said slowly, still not following her.

"Then assume whatever form she dreams of and ask her then. Human's dreams are the purest of thoughts. No filters no second guessing like whenever they're awake. Just purity. And," she leaned forward and kissed his cheek, "You could hint at your part in all this. It'll make things easier when you fully explain yourself. Which, you will," she gave him a hard look.

"Now these bracelets. Am I to presume that love breaks them?" Vi noticed a mother duck and her ducklings had gathered around their feet. Bending down, she scooped the smallest and cradled it in her palm.

"No, I do," he said, running a hand through his hair.

"Explain," she scratched the tiny critter under its bill. The duckling closed its eyes, clearing enjoying the attention.

"I have full control over it. I can release us at any time." The mother duck started nibbling at the cuff of his boots and he frowned at her.

"And you chose her admittance of love?" Vi placed the duckling down and picked up another, giving it the same attentions.

"Well, yes. Why not?" he scooted his boot out of the duck's beak. She quacked at him.

"What if you're wrong Nephew? What if she doesn't love you?" she asked cradling the baby duck against her cheek, it snuggled close and sighed.

All thoughts of protecting his footwear forgotten, Jareth stared, mouth slightly agape at his Great Aunt. His normally pale face tinted with a sickly grey color, and hair lost some of its bouffant shape as her words crashed down around him.

Fortunately, what Jareth woke to was much more pleasant than what his Great Aunt had just suggested. He had a lap full of young pliable woman, and knew without opening his eyes that it was Sarah. And, oh, she was kissing him. Just as he woke up enough to do something about it, she pulled away- his face still cupped in between her hands. "What was that for?" he murmured, moving to pull her back towards him when she got off his lap and laughed.

"Nothing, just… happy." She grinned, pulling on the string. "Come on, it's 10:30 and I'm hungry."

****  
Jareth had the full intention of putting his Great Aunt's plan into action that night, except Sarah didn't dream of him. In fact, she didn't dream of him for the next few nights. Each dream, or nightmare rather, was an reenactment of their encounter with Monica. That first night, Sarah's mind rehashed what she saw the previous evening. She flailed and thrashed so much in her sleep that she woke him **,** and with a, "blasted pillows!" he banished her squishy wall to the Bog of Eternal Stench. Pulling her towards himher body immediately stilled and relaxed as she snuggled close.

Sarah did not protest the lack of wall in the morning. In fact, she didn't mention its disappearance at all. She surprised him once more when the next night, with little resistance, they fell asleep curled like spoons in a drawer. It appeared that they had forged an unspoken agreement.

Even though her body calmed down, Sarah's dreams did not. The second night she dreamt of Toby lying broken on the floor of that sad, dank house- his neck twisted at a sickly angle, a dark bruise formed over his left eye. Her dream-self knelt over his body and cried.

The third night was the worst for her. She crept towards the figure on the floor in that desolate kitchen, afraid of what she'd come across, and ended up face to face with herself. Sarah sat up and screamed- it carried throughout the castle and echoed into the streets of the Goblin City (waking a few of them). This of course woke Jareth (who had been half-asleep- monitoring her dream) and he calmed the terrified woman with nonsensical murmurs and strong arms.

Eventually, Sarah fell into an easier sleep with her head pillowed on his chest. She dreamed almost instantly, only this time it wasn't terrifying. They were back in the empty theater, stage set in the familiar Carthaginian theme. Jareth spied himself waiting in the wings for his private show to start. Quickly he made his way past the empty chairs and ducked behind the heavy velvet curtain. Moving behind himself, Jareth waited.

The familiar music started and Sarah came skittering out of the wing opposite of them. Her dark hair was once again curled and teased, pinned half up into a riot of Pre-Raphaelite curls cascading down her corseted back. The crown, cuffs, and rope skirt completed her look. She danced to the same music as before except none of her fellow ballerina cohorts appeared on stage- she was completely alone.

Jareth was unsure how to proceed. He had already changed his outfit to match his dream counterparts' yet, seeing two of him would surely disturb her subconscious enough to let her know that something was off. What was it that Vi had said? Something about 'assuming the form'? With that in mind, he walked forward and stepped into himself. For a brief second their images blurred and then merged until he was the only one standing there.

Unfortunately, during that second, Sarah had finished and was looking to him for approval. _I hope she didn't notice that,_ he worried. Instead of having her repeat the set again and again, Jareth took his chance, and stepping towards the kneeling woman, offered her his hand. He couldn't bear to see her pretty little feet bleed anyhow- even if it was just a dream.

Sarah took his hand and stood looking slightly confused, clearly expecting him to disapprove. _Blast! Now what do I do?_ He couldn't just stand there and hold her hand until she woke up. "Sarah," he brushed a wayward curl from her sweaty forehead, "my princess, you were magnificent." He smiled. "Clearly, you've been practicing."

Sarah sighed and sagged in relief at the compliment. "You are pleased?" she looked down at her skirt- ropes once again tangled around her legs. "They bind me."

"Yes, and you cannot fully please me until you are free of the ropes. I know." He cupped her cheek in his hand and she tilted her head into his palm, closing her eyes at the touch. "Would you like to know how to be free?" he murmured.

She smiled and nodded turning her face to kiss his palm.

"Do you love me?" Her eyes opened at the question but she didn't move. "Just say you love me and you will be free," he clarified.

"Love?" She raised her head and moved back a few inches, a surprised look on her face.

He moved forward, placing his hands on her waist, "I made them that way," he said knowing that he hadn't really, but decided it was best to keep things simple. Leaning forward, he whispered into her ear, "say it, and you can have everything," he kissed her cheek and drew back to ascertain her reaction.

Sarah stood there feeling a sense of déjàvu. This conversation was extremely familiar to her- she wasn't looking for something was she? _No, Toby is safe._ Turning her face away from him she scanned the theater and saw ghostly images of themselves populating the aisles, in the boxed seats, and on the balcony. It was a mixture of dreams, and memories- both old and new.

Him gifting her with a simple bracelet- no strings attached. Them in a tangled sweaty heap, recovering after a bought of lovemaking. Petting Merlin the Second and chatting with Toby. Watching a Grievance Day and planning the space the goblins begged for. Them during her Run in the tunnels, in the ballroom, and at the end during their final confrontation. It clicked- he had said something along those lines to her before. _But I don't… love? 'I will be your slave'._ "No," she said finally, looking into his mismatched eyes.

She watched as hope fled those eyes and was replaced by the same crushing defeat that reflected in them during that skirmish so many years ago. Sarah almost expected one of his crystals to land in her palm and for her be back in her parents' house. Instead she woke tangled in sheets with her head resting on his chest.

She sat up and tried to move away, but she didn't get very far. _Great, it shrunk._ Not for the first time Sarah wished she had some space. Stretching, she snatched her notebook and pencil from her bookcase, and seeing that he was still asleep started scratching away in it, recording bits and pieces of the dream that she remembered. While not horrifying like the others had been, this one felt different. He was different.

Things had changed. After waking up spooned against him for a second time, feeling safe, Sarah decided that she didn't mind it. She did notice that her barrier was missing that morning- _probably banished,_ but said nothing and let this new change become permanent.

Maybe that's what altered the dream- altered him? No… he looked the same, but his energy felt weird. More tangible. And the questions- he had never questioned her like that before. **Love** , she wrote, **princess** \- he had never called her that in a dream before. So where did that come from? **Made them that way.** Made what that way? Her skirt? No, she shook her head. No, he had never indicated before that he made clothing for her.

Sarah laughed softly remembering an old dream- the only thing her dream Jareth had made was a bracelet. But it was just a pretty bracelet not whatever this thing was. Hold on, she read through her hastily written notes- the bracelet in the dream… it had looked just like the one sitting on her wrist.

A maelstrom of thoughts pushed and pulled at her. He could see her dreams- and for all she knew had been watching them- no, she knew he had been if the metal thing on her wrist was any indication. It would have been a remarkable coincidence for the real thing to match what she had once dreamt about.

It was done deliberately she realized and gasped. It made sense- the lack of information in any of the books, the way he had been so calm during this whole thing almost like he knew what to expect. 'Made them that way'.

A heavy uneasy feeling settled in her stomach, quickly transforming into nausea. She was going to be sick. "Jareth," she slapped his face with a little more force than necessary to wake him. "I have to…" she jerked towards the bathroom. Getting the hint, he shuffled behind her and prepared to wait patiently behind the curtain when she knelt in front of the commode and retched.

"Oh," he made a disgusted face at the noise, and noticed that her long hair was dangling dangerously close to the contents of the toilet. Kneeling beside her, he gently pulled it out of the way and held it back.

"Go away," she cried, retching again.

Jareth rubbed her back thinking she was embarrassed about vomiting in front of him, "You know I can't do that sweetheart." _Whatever is the matter? Is she ill?_

"Yes, you can," she wiped her mouth with the sleeve of her free arm pining him with a cold look. "You 'made them this way,'" she jerked her left arm which in turn jerked the right hand that was rubbing her back stilling his movements.

Jareth missed that look and sat back starring at her stunned. She had made the connection already. _She truly is brilliant,_ his mind crowed happily as he grinned at her. _Now all she has do is…._ But before she could say those three little words, and he could savor his happiness (and their freedom), a bell rang and they were summoned to the Above.

* * *

Disclaimer: Jareth and Sarah belong to Jim Henson and Co.

AN: Finally, what I consider a decent sized chapter.

Ooh, and random question because I'm curious. What would any of you do if you found yourselves in this kind of situation? I'd have a ball dragging him to work and have him answer phones (I work in a call center).

Thoughts, comments, & suggestions are welcome in reviews or PMs.


	9. Chapter 9

Sarah rinsed her mouth out with water from the nearby sink as Jareth prepared them to answer the summons. Together they poofed straight into Sarah's nightmare. It was Monica's house, or had been her house before Jareth had saved both her and her son. Once again, it was nighttime and hard to see around them. Instead of following Jareth, Sarah had little choice but to walk by his side, cloaked in the invisibility spell.

"Hello?" he called out. Like before, the place seemed empty as they looked around, trying to locate the Wisher. They ended up in the living room in front of a previously unnoticed boarded up fireplace. Sarah gripped his hand in fear as something large moved in the darkness. He tried to push her behind him but was unsuccessful due to the shortness of the cord that bound them. "Hello?" he concentrated on the dark mass in front of them.

A match was struck against the sagging mantle of the old fireplace flaring into life, casting a small glow upon the room. The shape used it to light a cigarette, took a deep draw, and blew a cloud of smoke at them. "Where are they?" it growled, tossing the match onto the floor. Lightening flashed, and a nearby light bulb lit dimly, as a large bear of a man flicked a switch. His hair was greasy and combed over to hide a balding patch. He wore torn jeans, a stained wife beater, and reeked of alcohol.

"Where are they?" he repeated when Jareth didn't answer. "My cunt of a wife and that brat she calls my son."

"They're safe," Jareth finally replied. His mind reeled in confusion and panic. Like the other Wished Aways and Collections he had gone on, as soon as the child was given up for a dream or lost due to a failed Run, a permanent amnesia spell took root in the minds of all who knew of the child. The same happened if he saved any endangered caretakers- they would cease to exist in the Aboveground. _Something must have gone wrong,_ he thought frantically.

"Safe," the bear-man took another drag on his cigarette and eyed Jareth up and down, "with a cross dressin' fop like you?"

Jareth bristled at the insult, "I assure you, sir that-"

"I know what you are," he interrupted calmly, "you're that fairy man, that Goblin King she was so fond of tellin' that bastard child about."

Jareth had full intention of forming a crystal to toss at the man and freeze him until they could sort things out. However, with Sarah so close- only two feet maximum clearance, he could not manipulate and roll the crystal across his arms to simultaneously distract the man and imbue the spell within- making that plan useless. He had to think of something else. "How did you know to call me?"

Lightning flashed behind them flooding the room with stark white light, temporarily blinding the trio. _Something was wrong- why isn't he… oh,_ Sarah's eyes flicked towards her invisible bracelet. The cord it must be too short for him to use his crystals. She knew Jareth could poof them out, but it usually took a few minutes for that part of his magic to be ready. Wished Aways, Runners, Collecting… no wonder he snores after those- each one took a toll on him. They had to keep the man talking.

Sarah used another flash of lightening as a distraction to lean closer to Jareth and prepared to whisper an idea in his ear. She just had to wait for- a clap of thunder crashed through. Ah, there was her chance. "Mention the police. He's probably dealt with them before. Might make him think twice before doing anything rash until we can get out of here," she whispered quickly, soft lips brushing his ear. Jareth grunted in reply.

Not noticing the exchange, the man answered Jareth. "Who else would they run to? She had no friends; parent's dead. Woman's shelter too far away. Her blooming head in the clouds. Of course, she'd call on you," he tossed his cigarette butt on the ground and stamped on it with a thick boot. The motion sent a tiny cloud of dust spilling into the air and more than a few roaches and other critters scurrying for cover.

Jareth cringed inwardly at the bugs crawling around. _Oh, gods, they're on the walls._ He glanced up, _and the ceiling. I have to get Sarah out of here._ He cleared his throat, "You don't look like someone who believes in magic. Why not go to the police?"

"The police? The fairy man is askin' about the police." He let out a great guffawing laugh that quickly turned into a cough; he spat on the ground. "Police. They never done me any good. I know you took them fairy man. Now, give 'em to me," he stepped forward menacingly.

Jareth and Sarah both missed him grabbing an iron fireplace poker due to the shadows in the weakly lit room. And they were surprised when in a fluid movement, the man lunged with the poker aimed at Jareth's chest. It never hit its intended target, however, since Sarah (with a shriek) twisted herself around and blocked the weapon which, with a sickening slurping sound, burrowed deep beneath her left shoulder blade and hung seemingly in mid-air since she was still invisible.

All she knew was the hot fire of pain and collapsed as her vision went black and she fell sideways, hitting her head on the cold hard floor rendering her unconscious.

The man's eyes went wide watching the fireplace poker hang in mid-air then ascend slowly- too slowly for it to be an act of gravity, and sat off the ground at an odd angle. "Demon," he breathed. Jaundiced eyes flicking between the poker and Jareth's face. It was one thing to deal with flesh and blood- but to face an enemy one couldn't even see, that was entirely something else. The man ran clumsily from the room and out of the house. Jareth would have to deal with him later. Waving his hand over the girl he ended the invisibility spell and Sarah's form shimmered into existence.

She was laying half on her side, half on her stomach completely knocked out. "Sarah," he moaned in anguish reaching for a nearby dirty rag, he wrapped it around the poker before pulling it free. Blood flowed immediately from the wound, and pressing his hand firmly against it he poofed them back home.

****  
Settling her carefully on their bed, he murmured a spell, breaking the cord that had bound them. The once shiny metal bracelets dulled and vibrated slightly as the magic left them- they were free. Grabbing her peasant blouse, he ripped it exposing her back and the bloody wound. Conjuring bandages, Jareth held a few on to the lesion, and lifting Sarah carefully, wrapped a length of the cotton dressing diagonally across her back securing them into place. Laying her back down, he pulled a cord beside the bed summoning Smeet and instructed him to fetch Lydia, a nursemaid goblin. Smeet popped out and back into the room with the nurse so quickly, that Jareth barely had time to register that he had been gone at all.

"Oh, dear," squeaked the tiny female goblin when she saw the state Sarah was in. "The King's Lady!" she rushed over and lifting her skirts, clambered onto the bed to check over the sleeping girl.

"Can you heal her?" his face was drawn and serious. Jareth had very little knowledge on medicinal magic, and even less on how to practically treat a wound- especially one like this- on a human.

Lydia cautiously checked the injury, the blood had slowed to a trickle but would soon soak through the gauze. "It's too deep for me to heal completely, my King, but I can stop the bleeding. She looked up at him- his skin was white and his normally mismatched blue eyes were black- both dilated with anxiety. He was pacing and worrying his hands together nervously. At this rate, he'd wear a path into the solid stone floor. She had to get him out of here. "Visit the elves- they have many advanced healing techniques for both magical and nonmagical beings," she suggested.

Without another word, Jareth shifted into his owl form and took flight- heading east towards the Elvin Kingdom- leaving an unconscious Sarah with Lydia.

For the first time in nearly two months Sarah woke alone, and she felt like she'd been hit by a truck- her head throbbed as did her shoulder. She was laying on her stomach and with a groan, tried rolling over but stopped at a tiny "No, miss Lady," and a gentle touch to her forehead. She focused on the goblin who was sitting on the pillow next her- the pillow that usually held Jareth's head.

Turning her head to the right, she expected him to be there but he wasn't. "Where's…?" she muzzily croaked.

"None of that, dearie," Lydia said straightening the bandage wrapped around Sarah's head. "You've had a nasty accident. The King has gone to the Elvin Kingdom for help."

"But-" Sarah looked at her wrist and noticed that while the bracelet was still on it, it was no longer bright and shiny, but dull and tarnished. _He must have ended it,_ she concluded.

"Now," Lydia unknowingly broke Sarah's musings, "if you can sit up- we'll get some broth into you." Slowly Sarah inched over onto her side, and sat up while Lydia stuffed a few pillows behind her to keep her upright. "There, you are," she cooed, making sure they wouldn't disturb the injury.

She ate and snoozed, and talked with Lydia well into the evening- waiting for Jareth to return but he never did. Instead a tall redheaded man with pointed ears and green eyes (rivaling her own), carrying a worn leather bag, knocked and entered the chamber. He introduced himself as Lord Beinion of the Elvin Kingdom- a healer. Sarah was immediately grateful that Lydia had magicked her clean and into a modest nightgown, seeing as how she was now receiving unexpected visitors.

He chatted amiably with Lydia for a few minutes, getting her input on Sarah's injuries, then taking a small pair of spectacles out of his coat pocket her made a gesture with is hands. "May, I?" he indicated that Sarah should lean forward. She obligated, and with warm fingers, he undid a few of the ties holding her gown closed inspecting both the injury and then the spot where she'd struck her head. After examining Sarah, he dug around in his valise, eventually producing a goblet and a vial with a thick brown sludge inside. "I'm afraid this will taste terrible," he frowned in sympathetic disgust pouring the contents into the goblet, "but it should heal your injuries in a third of the time it normally would take."

She accepted the cup and half gulped- half chewed the contents down. He was right, it did taste terrible- like fish eggs and mint tea. Handing the empty cup back, she inquired, "Where's Ja-?"

"The Goblin King had unfinished business to attend to in the Above," he interrupted, wiping the goblet with a cloth and tucking it back inside the case.

"Oh," she played with the lace edging the sleeves of her nightgown. "When will he return?" she looked up at him.

"I am uncertain, Lady Sarah." He pursed his lips in thought and considered the young woman before him before speaking. "I might be overstepping, but-" he paused again, pulling a chair up to the side of the bed and took one of her hands in between his own. "While I do not pretend to know him personally, I have never seen him so scared. It was like he was afraid of losing something extraordinary precious to him," he finished softly.

Squeezing her hand, he rose chuckling. "He threatened me, you know."

"Really?" her eyes followed his movements as he returned the chair to its corner and walked towards the door.

He shook his head in affirmation. "Really. He threatened that if I didn't get here as quickly as possible, he'd personally cover me in yack vomit and send me over to the Troll Kingdom."

Sarah made a face. "That sounds horrid!" she said while going back to playing with the lace on her nightgown. The pain was starting to ebb and she was feeling relaxed.

"That's not the half of it. Trolls are- attracted to yack vomit, erm, romantically," he finished as delicately as possible.

"Oh, that is worse." Sarah didn't let her mind ponder too much on how that part of Troll romance worked. "Well, thank you- both of you," she accepted a cup of water from Lydia. "I'll let him know you were extremely quick and efficient," she sipped at it.

"You're welcome," he bowed deeply before taking his leave shutting the door firmly behind him.

****  
Although feeling better, Sarah slept fitfully that night for a few reasons. One, the bed felt completely too big and empty (a feeling that she warred with herself over), and two, her mind continuously played out her earlier discovery.

Giving up on sleep, she stood on wobbly legs and retrieved her robe that was laying at the foot of the bed. Wrapping it securely, Sarah wandered out onto the balcony. The Labyrinth spread out below was breathtaking in the moonlight- something she had truly never appreciated before. And she would miss it once Jareth returned her home and she resumed her Aboveground life…

Except… except… was that what she wanted? Hugging herself she stepped further out onto the balcony and leaned her elbows on the parapet. Closing her eyes, Sarah took a deep breath- the smell of wood smoke, exotic spice, and something she uniquely associated with the Underground assaulted her senses. She would never tire of the smell of magic. And that made her heart ache.

Sighing, she tucked a strand of hair behind her ear that had worked its way loose from her sleeping braid. "How can I ever forgive him?" she murmured to herself. "Trust him?" Sarah knew that this wasn't going to be easy. Even if Jareth saw the error of his ways and apologized upon bent knee- begged for her forgiveness- would it be enough? Not only had he brought her back here upon false pretenses, he took control of her dreams. Which was an even greater fallacy than him just watching them.

And it wasn't as if she didn't understand the nature of his job. Collect and keep as many children as possible. Which for him, meant playing to the dreams and desires of the Wishers. She'd not only seen it, she had experienced- he was extremely good at his job and enticing- even back then.

Did that mean that all the other dreams she had of them were influenced by him? There was that nauseated feeling again. She gulped, trying to will it away. _No,_ she reminded herself firmly. _That last time he felt different. The others were me- all me._ But still a microscopic part of her wondered.

What was it he was trying to tell her? That love broke the rope, ergo the bracelet in the waking world? Well, that's just silly. If a kiss didn't break it then what did love have to do with anything? It wasn't as if she loved him- did she? Sarah sighed. The whole thing was just a mess. If only he had done things the human way. _That's just it,_ her sensible side pipped up, _he's **not** human._

Sarah rolled her eyes at her inner commentary. "Well, duh."

 _Think about it. Consider his point of view,_ it practically pleaded with her.

She sighed and gingerly rubbed her temples. "Fine, something else to throw in." After a few more minutes of trying to relax, Sarah gave up and went back to bed. "I'll talk to him in the morning," she yawned scooting over to his side which was still softer than hers. "Jerk," she groused, falling back into a fitful sleep.

****  
Sarah didn't miss the irony- she was standing in the middle of a pretty garden (instead of a park) rehearsing her lines. Tiring of being cooped up inside, she figured that a walk and some sunshine might help. And now, she was here, pacing and practicing what she was going to say. What tone to take and factoring in how he might react. She didn't notice him until he had scooped her up from behind in a hug. "Sarah! Beloved, you're okay," she heard the happiness and relief in his voice.

"Gah- oww! Put me down," she shrieked in surprise and pain when her shoulder pressed against his chest a little too hard.

"Yes, of course," he set her down and turned her to face him. Looking her up and down, he patted her shoulders and arms as if reassuring himself that she was there. "Oh," he smiled lovingly at her and closed his eyes, leaning down to kiss her, when Sarah (stiffly) dodged him.

"None of that," she pushed at his shoulder earning a confused look from him. "Come on," she said grabbing his hand, "you and I need to chat."

* * *

Disclaimer: Jareth and Sarah belong to Jim Henson and Co.

AN: I have no experience in dealing with drunken abusers, so I have no idea if mentioning the police in that kind of situation would calm someone like him down or not.

Thoughts, comments, & suggestions are welcome in reviews or PMs.


	10. Chapter 10

IslandOwlArcher asked: So did Jareth remove the bracelets manually or did Sarah "frozen" it (ie perform an act of true love like in the movie Frozen)?

Answer: He didn't remove them, but did end their bond to seek medical attention.

Also, this is a heavy dialogue based chapter. I'm trying not to have 'talking heads', but it's hard.

* * *

Jareth sat beside her on a stone bench, a look of concern on his face. Why would she not let him kiss her? As soon as they were settled, he immediately started checking her for any further signs of injury- going so far as to try to try looking down the back of her blouse- to see if she had started bleeding again.

"Stop that!" she snapped, grabbing his wayward hands and placing them firmly in his lap. "I'm fine. Lord Beinion saw to me that evening. Do not-" she pointed a finger in his face, "cover him in yack vomit," she warned sternly.

Jareth smirked at her protectiveness. Lord Beinion had come through for him- for them. He'd have to send him a thank you gift- maybe a basket of peaches. "Of course," he addressed Sarah, "I'm glad to hear it," he stroked her cheek.

Sarah sighed and gathered her dark hair over her right shoulder playing with the ends. She looked weighted and troubled- like she had a lot on her mind. "Jareth," she looked into his eyes, "how much do you know about humans?"

The smirk slid from his face. He wasn't expecting a question like that. In fact, he was expecting her to throw her arms around him and kiss him senseless. "Not much, why?" he eyed her warily.

"I have a feeling you know very little of us," she said with a pained smile. "Tell me what you do know."

He thought and smirked once again at her- playful mood overtaking him. "Well, you like scrambled eggs and have a stash of chocolate in nearly every nook in your apartment, and-"

"Stop," she said gently, smacking his arm, "not me. Humans- all of us."

That was another question entirely. "I know you live passionately and can be cruel to one another, but can love effortlessly as well." He paused cocking his head, "Is it because of your mortality?"

"My what?" she asked, surprised.

"Mortality. Sarah, Fae are about as close to immortal as one can be. We have feelings and passions but they take time to develop. And once they do, they last forever."

"Must put a kink in your love life then," she commented dryly.

"What do you mean?" he frowned.

"Well," she glanced away looking at a point over his shoulder, "don't Fae date?"

He shook his head. "No, we don't. We just fuc-" her eyes snapped back onto his, making him falter, "er, screw like rabbits until we're paired off," he amended.

Her green eyes narrowed at him. "What happens if you fall in love?"

"It's rare, but has been known to happen. In that case we can petition to be paired together."

"Oh," she said, hoping she understood where he was coming from. _Wait, why does love keep coming up?_ He had mentioned it during her dream as well. _'Say you love me,' he had said- oh._ Her eyes widened as it hit her. _Oh- oh crap. So that's what he has in his head._

Regaining her composure and hoping he hadn't noticed, she asked, "So, you're saying you don't go out on dates? Get to know each other? Meet the parents- that kind of thing?"

He laughed. "All the girls I've ever-" at a frown from Sarah he paused "- _talked_ with, my parents have already met- aside from you, of course," he said patting her thigh. As for dating, everybody already knows everybody else- what's there to know? It's carnally based, I suppose."

Sarah worried her bottom lip, afraid to ask her next question- _in for a penny._ "Would I have been 'carnally based?'" She suddenly wished she was someplace else and looked to the green grass waiting for his answer.

With gentle hands he tipped her chin up- forcing her to look at him. "No," he said firmly, "you are not."

She smiled shyly at him and turned her head away effectively breaking the moment. "What about my mortality?" she changed the subject.

Oh, he had forgotten that question. "Isn't it why humans love so quickly and fiercely? Because of your mortality?

 _There it was- that must be where he got it from._ "No, we don't. Not all of us."

"Do you?" he inched closer.

"I- before I answer that I want to ask you something about me." He nodded, gesturing for her to continue.

"How long have you been watching…?"

"Ah." Jareth explained how he first noticed her as a potential Runner due to the magic of the Underground alerting him. "That's what first gave me access to you. And so, I performed my duty. I watched."

"And learned, and enticed," she finished fully knowing now how the Wished Away routine worked.

"And after you left- I couldn't help myself from watching. I'll always watch over you," he said quietly, almost shyly.

"Oh." Sarah felt a blush creep up her cheeks. "And to answer your question- no, I don't love quickly but when I do, it is fierce. Can I ask you something else?" Once again, he nodded- giving her permission to do so. "What about my dreams? Have you always watched," the blush fading, eyes growing cold even though her voice remained calm, "and influenced them?"

Oh that. _Drat! She did notice._ "I have dipped in from time to time, but no, that was a one-time thing," he sighed, raking his hands through his hair. He scooted closer to her so that their thighs touched. "Sarah, I- I wanted you to admit that you love me."

Sarah was not exactly floored given what he had said to her in that dream and their current conversation, but she wasn't expecting him to be so direct about it. "What do you think?" she stalled.

"I think based on your dreams you do," he said earnestly.

"On my dreams?" _Apparently, sexy fun dreams equal love._ She internally groaned. He really had no idea, did he? "Oh, Jareth," she grabbed his hands and held them in hers. "Dreams can be just dreams to humans."

"But aren't they the purest of thoughts- an exploration of desires and hopes?" His eyebrows drew up in confusion.

She sighed. "They can be- at least the ones that you're used to viewing for Wished Aways, but mostly they're just our brains trying to make sense of what's going in around us- inside of us at times. But they're not definitive answers."

Jareth felt his stomach start to crawl up into his throat- and had a sense that this wasn't going to bode well. "You're saying that…?" he swallowed, trying to rid himself of the feeling.

Giving up on hedging around the topic, Sarah bit the bullet. "Jareth, I don't love you. I know that's what you think- but I don't." The look was instantaneous- his hope filled face crumbled and fell like a puppy being kicked for being too happy. He tried to pull away but she held fast onto his hands, so he settled on looking away. "Jareth," she placed her hand on his cheek- coaxing him to look at her, "hear me out. For the last eight years I thought you were a dream. I thought the Labyrinth was a dream. How can I fall in love with someone who until two months ago, I didn't believe to exist?"

He drew a breath to respond. "Please, let me finish," she pleaded. "My dreams are my idealized version of you," she pointed to her head. "I love the idea of you, but I need to know the real you before I can decide if I love him as well." She placed her hand on his chest, over his heart. Another piece of the puzzle slid into place. _The bracelets… the tethering… he wanted me to get to know him._ "And for that matter, it's incredibly hard to realistically get to know someone, if you're tied to them 24/7." She shook the dull bracelet on her wrist. "Not your most brilliant idea, Goblin King, but," she smiled, "I think I understand your thought process."

Jareth wanted to turn into his owl form and soar through the clouds for the next week. This is not what he was expecting. _Great Aunt Vi was right._ He didn't want to deal with this right now but found that he couldn't make himself leave. "If you don't love me," his voice broke on the word 'love,' "then why did you save my life?"

She shrugged wincing at the twinge of pain emanating from below her shoulder. "Just because I'm not in love with you, doesn't mean I don't care for you." She traced the ruffles on the front of his shirt. "But, next time someone gets stabbed, don't remove the object." At his quizzical look, she explained. "The poker- even I know not to remove something like that. I could have died, Jareth."

The color from his face drained and he clutched at her hand that was still playing with his shirt. "I- I'm- sorry," he choked out.

"It's okay- you had to." She hugged him and he returned it. "I know iron is poisonous to Fae, and if you didn't, you would have risked bringing a deadly weapon into your world." He replied with a questioning grunt, making Sarah chuckle. "I learned that from all those books I've been reading," she explained, relaxing fully against him. She didn't pull away feeling comfortable being held by him and holding him in return. It was something they both needed. "Jareth? What were you doing in the Above?"

He disengaged them enough to look at her. "Taking care of that man," he growled. All thoughts of Sarah not loving him pushed aside.

"What did you do?" she whispered- all sorts of unsavory scenarios flitted through her mind.

"I made it so all he sees are his nightmares," he said with ferocity that scared her.

Sarah very rarely faced this side of him- the dangerous Goblin King side, so she was at a loss for words. Only managing to say, "Oh, that's terrible."

"Not nearly terrible enough. If I had my way, he would have been hanged for his crimes. He not only attacked royalty, he attacked… you," his voice softened and he reached out to cup her face. "I couldn't bear anything happening to you. I-"

Sarah stood, not wanting to deal with anymore confessions or misinterpretations of things. She walked a few feet away from the bench and stood thinking- weighing her options. She knew she was too close to the situation to be able to hash everything out. She needed space-she needed to go home. But what exactly was home now? She missed her family and friends and yet, she had grown accustomed to life here. Quiet evenings talking with him, learning about this world, going on Aboveground excursions, sleeping cradled in his arms at night.

Turning back, she looked at him. Though he tried to hide it, she read sadness in his eyes. _Shit,_ she thought, _I must have really done a number on him._ A question he asked her soon after she arrived popped up into her head 'is being in my presence really that bad?' The answer was a firm 'no' back then, and continued to be a 'no' to this day. Being around him wasn't bad at all… it was just the circumstances that brought them together that weren't ideal.

 _It'll only be for a little while. Until I can figure things out,_ one part of her thought while the other sang, _absence makes the heart grow fonder._

Maybe it would.

Decision made, she walked back over, interrupting his thoughts which were no doubt miserable. "Jareth, I'd like to return to the Above. I need some… time… away from all this," she gestured around her, "to think."

****  
He wasn't happy about it. Neither of them were, truth be told, but Sarah couldn't think of a better plan. Jareth was successful in persuading her to wait a few more days until her wounds fully healed for his 'peace of mind'. However, things had been a bit awkward between them- especially at night. That familiarity gone, they slept facing away on opposite sides of the bed- much like they had in the beginning.

And during the day, he left her largely alone to deal with his kingdom and to privately nurse his broken heart. She was doing exactly as he predicted- running away from him. Rejecting him again.

"Is there anything I can say? Anything I can do to change your mind?" he inquired as she packed her small suitcase with her personal belongings.

"It'll only be for a few weeks. Three tops," she looked up from folding a pair of jeans." He was sitting stiffly on the other side of the bed, face drawn, shoulders rounded in- as though he was trying to protect himself. She came around and sat next to him- he looked at her with such hopelessness. "Jareth, I promise- no, I swear this isn't goodbye. I just need to clear my head- I'm too close to the situation. Hell, I'm part of the situation."

He pulled her into a hug- his hold almost desperate upon her, like he couldn't bear to let her go. Resting his chin on her head, he breathed in the scent that was uniquely hers (vanilla and strawberries) and murmured, "I'm going to miss you."

"It's not like I'll be gone forever," she pointed out, listening to his heartbeat which was strong and even paced.

"Hmm…" he drew back. "Are you ready?"

"Yes," it was now or never.

And figuring he'd get no other chance to do so, he kissed her. It was simple and sweet- chaste, and when they parted they were sitting on her couch, her suitcase at their feet.

She kissed his cheek in thanks before getting up to see what had changed. Nothing- his spell had worked perfectly. Or almost perfectly. A fern that Karen had given her was dead due to lack of water and- she poked her nose in the fridge, gaging at the smell of rotted food. She'd have to clean that out. "How long have I been gone here?"

"A little less than a month, but I made sure you weren't missed. Currently, everybody thinks you're on vacation in Bermuda."

"Oh," she grabbed her cell phone which exploded with a variety of notifications since being reconnected to her mobile and wifi networks. Emails, news stories, game updates, and two voicemails were among the things that loaded within a few minutes.

Curious, she played the voicemails- one was an older one from Toby excitedly telling her of the new sheepdog puppy; the other from her boss asking if she could come in early next week. Sarah groaned- work and getting up early. The reality of not being able to lounge in bed (with a handsome Goblin King) slammed into her. Did she make the right decision? She knew she couldn't backpedal. They had agreed on three weeks… starting now.

 _Now, for the hardest part,_ they simultaneously thought, unaware that they were sharing it.

Again, they came together in a fierce hug- each unwilling to let go first. "Three weeks," she murmured.

"Three weeks," he agreed.

Sarah was equally disappointed and surprised when, in leaning up to kiss his cheek, her lips instead met air and were kissed by the glitter that was left behind- slowly falling to the carpeted floor.

* * *

Disclaimer: Jareth and Sarah belong to Jim Henson and Co.

AN: We're getting really, really close to an ending. Which, I have two in mind: optimistic or not. Haven't decided which way yet.

Thoughts, comments, & suggestions are welcome in reviews or PMs.


	11. Chapter 11

AN: Here's the ending. Or endings. Unlike, Sarah, I can't make up my mind on which way to go. It's been up for a few days now, and ehh... people are right they just don't quite fit. I'm going to let my mind rest and then come back to tinker.

* * *

Jareth's eyes flicked to the large clock in his throne room. It had been 7 hours, 34 minutes, and 29 seconds since he returned Sarah to the Above. This was going to be the longest three weeks of his life- _no,_ he winced. Three weeks of _her_ _life._ For him, it'd be more akin to a little over a month. _Damned time differences!_ Snarling, he grabbed the closest goblin and threw him out a nearby window. Whirling around, he went to grab another, but the rest of the pack fled in fear. Being kicked was one thing- they quite enjoyed it. But being flung out of the window, well that was almost as terrible as swimming laps in the Bog.

With his diversion scurrying out the door, Jareth dramatically draped himself across his throne and conjured a scrying crystal to see what Sarah was up to, when, at the last minute, he thought better of it. Throwing it against the wall, and feeling a rush of satisfaction as it shattered, he sighed heavily. He was pretty much back to square one with Sarah. No, less than square one given how royally (he frowned at the irony) he'd fucked things up.

For a brief second, he considered reordering time to undo all of it. Present her with the bracelet as intended, but as only a bracelet- not a tie to him, see where things went, and hope for a better outcome. _No,_ he decided, _that's the coward's way out._ He had made his bed, and now he had to lie in it. "An empty bed," he huffed massaging his temples.

What was worse than being alone was the fact that she did not love him. He had been so sure of it that he didn't really consider any other possibility. When she said those four words, the world fell down around him for a second time- but this time the damage was even greater.

 _However,_ his mind said, _however she didn't say she'd_ _ **never**_ _love you- just that she doesn't right now. There's still hope._

"True." Best thing he could do right now was to give her the space she needed and let her figure things out.

Jareth conjured his riding crop and tapped it against his thigh and sighed again. It would be an extremely long month.

****  
Sarah looked at her watch for the millionth time. Did the second hand just go backwards? _Crap-_ she had to get out of the apartment. Sitting up from her artful sprawl across her couch (not unlike Jareth on his throne) she grabbed her keys and headed over to visit her family. "Guess I should meet Second for the 'first' time," she said, snickering at her lame joke.

"Sarah!" Karen exclaimed wrapping her stepdaughter in a warm hug. "We weren't expecting you back until tomorrow. How was Bermuda?"

"Er, good?" Sarah had forgotten about that part. _Shit! Well, this'll be interesting._

Karen pulled back to look at Sarah. "Strange, you don't look like you've been out in the sun. Were the beaches crowded? I know how much you dislike crowds…" she lead her into the house.

"It was too bright out to read books on my tablet," Sarah cobbled together a semi-plausible excuse. "Plus, all the sand. Sand and electronics don't mix," she threw in as Karen sat her down at the worn kitchen table.

"Coffee?" Karen offered, pulling out two mugs and filing the pot with water.

"Yes, thank you. Where's Dad and Toby?" Sarah glanced around expecting them to walk in at any moment and greet her.

"They're at puppy school with Second. Oh, you didn't know that-"

"No, Toby called and let me know. You got another sheepdog." She smiled remembering the excitement in his voicemail.

"Yes, well, tell me all about your trip."

Sarah was appropriately vague in her description of Bermuda. The hotel (castle) was nice, everybody (Jareth and the goblins) had been very welcoming and kind to her, and yes, the beaches were crowded. It was actually not that far from the truth except she hadn't encountered any beaches in the Underground. _So, technically it's not a lie._ She added cream and sugar to her cup and blew on her coffee to cool it.

"Meet anybody magical?" Karen asked while sipping at her own cup.

"Excuse me?" Sarah blinked and jerked slightly at her unexpected question.

Karen laughed lightly. "My, you are jumpy today. I meant did you meet anybody special?"

"Oh," Sarah looked at Karen. Their relationship had changed drastically over the years, and she considered Karen more of a mother to her than her real mother, Linda, was. She had been there for her during tough times: breakups, failed tests, college rejection letters- and celebrated milestones with her as well: driver's license, graduations, job offers.

Sarah had never shared her journey through the Labyrinth with anyone- seeing as how it was a dream, or at least she thought it was. Taking a gulp of her coffee, she placed a hand on Karen's arm. "Karen, remember that night when I was late coming home to babysit Toby…?" she began.

****  
 _Karen took that remarkably well,_ Sarah thought when she was done telling her everything. _She didn't even call the nuthouse to have me shipped off._ It was probably a good thing that Sarah still had the exotic bracelet on her wrist. With no latch and a design never seen before, it only helped her story that it had come from a magical Faerie king.

Karen was studying her stepdaughter with shrewd eyes. She wasn't lying (well, except for vacationing in Bermuda) she knew that much, and the story was too fantastical for even Sarah to weave together. Standing up, she went to the liquor cabinet and gathered two glasses and a half empty bottle of scotch.

"Here," she said, thrusting a glass into Sarah's hand. "I think you need this- to calm your nerves. And I don't believe in drinking alone," she poured them each a glass. Settling comfortably back on the dining room chair, she sipped and coughed as the liquor burned its way down her throat. "Why three weeks?"

Sarah shrugged. "Seemed like a reasonable amount of time to sort my thoughts out."

"Ah. What do you think you'll discover?" she swirled the contents of her glass around.

Sarah fiddled with the glass in her hands- watching the amber liquid swish back and forth. "I'm hoping to be able to forgive him. He's not human, you know-"

"You've said as much," Karen took another sip- it wasn't burning as much now.

"I think he just didn't know how to approach me and that's what lead to the binding." She held up her wrist displaying the ever-present bracelet.

"hmm…" Karen made a noncommittal murmur. "Sarah," she took the girl's hand that was resting on the table between them, "most men, and women for that matter- though men more so- are dumb. Take your father for example. Remember when we put those light sensors in the garage?"

Sarah nodded. "Yes, I remember."

"I found him in the dark, whacking at one of the sensors with a rolled-up newspaper. When I asked him what he was doing, he told me that 'whacking it should fix it.' And do you know how long he had been at it?" Sarah shook her head.

"Twenty minutes. And it was another twenty before he gave up and finally called the company who installed the sensors and demanded that they come out and fix it. Which they did- free of charge."

Sarah laughed heartily at this- envisioning her brilliant lawyer father being outsmarted by technology. "I suppose they can be dumb," she conceded. Briefly wondering how Jareth would behave in a similar situation. _He'd probably Bog the whole system and then the people who installed it._

"But that doesn't change the fact that Jareth lied to me, spied on my dreams, tried to take control of them, and manipulated me."

"And you tell me that you've never lied? You've never wished for an opportunity to know exactly how someone else felt? From what you told me, watching dreams are a part of his job, and he only took control of that one to feel you out per say. To try and figure out what your feelings are towards him without putting himself in a vulnerable position. As for the manipulation thing- and I'm not saying it's right- none of it is- but that's another part of his job. He manipulates humans into accepting their dreams for Wished Away children. And I'm sure he's used to trying to manipulate negotiations with other kingdoms."

Karen sat a little straight as part of Sarah's story hit her. "I can't believe you did that young lady! Wishing Toby away." She glared at the dark-haired woman sitting cross from her.

"But…"

"But nothing," Karen said sternly giving Sarah's hand a little slap. "We all make mistakes. Human," she gave Sarah a knowing look. "Or… Faerie. The least you can do is give him another chance. If things work out- great. If not- keep looking until you find the right person or… being for you."

Before Sarah could open her mouth to say anything else, Toby, Robert, and Second came bursting through the door in a whirlwind of hugs and sloppy puppy kisses. "Sarah," Robert called out joyfully, "what a wonderful surprise." He noticed the scotch and looked at Karen- concern on his face.

"Rough flight home," she provided by way of explanation, surreptitiously winking at Sarah.

"Ugh, they treat you like cattle anymore," he commiserated. "So, how was Bermuda?"

Sarah groaned.

****  
The next few weeks crawled by. For Jareth, Great Aunt Vi visited him no less than four times to commend his 'setting the one he loved free' which he thought was a pile of crap since he never said he loved Sarah.

But his Aunt knew better.

"Jareth, if it was meant to be, you'll both find your way back to each other," she sagely offered on the fourth night, seeing that he was still just as miserable as he had been on her previous visits. "Cherry?" she held out a bowl of them which he politely declined. Taking one, she chewed and spit the pit out a few feet in front of them. As soon as it landed, a tree started to take root.

"Now, tell me of the Labyrinth. How's Mr. and Mrs. Worm? I haven't talked to them in ages…"

For Sarah, she settled quickly back into her normal Aboveground routine: work, home, tv dinner, bed, visit family, go out with friends. Bills, clean the fridge, buy a new fern (so Karen would never know hers had died). And think- weigh options, play out different scenarios. Notebooks began piling up amongst her chocolate stashes filled with permutations, pros and cons, what ifs, and the odd to do list (pick up dry cleaning).

Another thing Sarah had picked up in all the reading she had done in the Underground was that Fae enjoyed games and striking deals. "Maybe we can come to an accord," she mused one night, pacing around her living room. "We can date only if you stay out of my head and promise not to tie me up anymore. Well… except under certain circumstances. What do you think?" she addressed the old Goblin King figurine that she unpacked from storage on her second day back. It helped to have something- a likeness of him to talk to.

"No," she said, shoulders slumping slightly. "That would only work if he understood humans- understood me." The advice Karen had given her earlier in the week, still rolled around fresh in Sarah's mind. She was right- in a way. Except Karen was giving advice based on something she had just learned about and wasn't directly involved in. No matter how wise her advice was, Karen had never dealt with near immortal Faerie Kings.

 _He could learn,_ her mind suggested hopefully.

"He could learn," Sarah agreed. "How about this?" she addressed the figurine again. "We form a learning based relationship, and see where it goes?"

The figurine didn't move. And, walking over to the table she picked it up and examined it. It was entirely too blue for her taste. And, was that a riding crop he was holding? In all the years she had owned it, Sarah missed that piece. "Huh," she murmured, "that's kinky," her subconscious filed that detail away.

****  
Unfortunately, Jareth didn't have any likeness of Sarah to talk to. No, all she left behind was her deck of cards and a sock. Deciding he wasn't completely pitiful, he didn't resort to talking to either item. He did sleep with her sock tucked beneath his pillow at night and felt it helped in a way.

And seeing as how his goblins wouldn't get within 20 feet of him, Jareth taught the Wiseman and his hat how to play Go Fish. It helped pass the time.

"Any twos?" he asked.

The bird hat, whose name was Carl (who knew?) leaned its head down to scrutinize the cards the Wiseman was holding. "No, go fish," it cawed. "Any Queens?"

Pain flickered through Jareth's eyes as he handed his Queen of Hearts over. The Wiseman knew it had nothing to do with the game. "Where's the girl?" he asked kindly as he snicked his pair of Queens onto the stone table between them.

"Home," Jareth mumbled, intently studying his cards.

"Ah, have you figured out she's human, yet?" the Wiseman hummed happily as he placed a pair of threes down.

Jareth made a face and glared at the duo over his hand. "Well, of course I know that. Sixes?"

Carl cocked its head, regarding the King before him. "Do you?" it simply asked.

"Go fish," the Wiseman said.

Later, much later, Jareth found himself standing in front of the sociology section of the New York Public Library. Reading the spines, he started making his selections.

****  
Ironically, the three weeks ran out the day after Sarah's 25th birthday. Though, not enjoying herself as much as she should, Sarah made the best of the situation and celebrated with her family the day before, and planned on meeting Jareth at the park, at sunset the following evening.

Sarah woke that Sunday morning feeling contented. She had come to a decision a few days earlier and resolved to stick to it. Now, all she had to do was wait until sunset to act upon it. Scrubbing the sleep out of her eyes, she readied herself for the day. Never noticing that her left wrist was now bare.

At an hour until sunset, Sarah started pacing around her living room- all contentment gone. She detested these kinds of hard talks. The tiny Goblin King figurine standing stoically on her dining room table. Every few paces she glanced at it. At twenty till, she gathered her coat and gloves and headed out on foot. The park wasn't far from where she lived, and while still warm out for mid-August, Sarah knew that once the sun set, it would cool down by the time she made it home.

Their agreed spot was the stone bridge crossing over a narrowed part of the pond. Sarah stared out over the water, watching a pair of swans slowly swim towards her. Usually, such a peaceful scene would wash over her, but her nerves were too tightly wound to fully enjoy it.

She blinked. One minute, she was reflected alone in the water below, the next he was standing beside her. "Jareth," she turned, hugging him warmly. "I missed you," she confessed, breathing him in feeling herself relax a little.

"Sarah," he greeted just as warmly returning her hug. "I've missed you too." He pulled back to gaze at her. "Still just as lovely," he breathed.

Sarah laughed, "yeah, like you haven't been watching," she said sarcastically.

"I haven't," he said seriously. "No matter how much I want to… I think I've learned my lesson about watching you- both awake and asleep."

Sarah was taken aback. She hadn't expected that- it was an improvement. "Oh." Her mind burbled over with _see I told you!_ She observed him with this new knowledge in mind. Jareth looked the same as always though she knew that to any casual bystander, he would seem unassuming and plain. "Walk with me?" she asked.

He offered her his arm, and she settled hers into the crook. They strolled amiably- with no clear destination in mind, just enjoying the atmosphere and each other's company. Catching up on what the other had been doing during their separation, they found themselves once again standing on the bridge looking over the water.

The sun had long ago set and the water reflected themselves bathed in moonlight- stars dotting around them like tiny fireflies. Jareth made the first move. "So, what happens now?" he stared intently upon Sarah's reflection in the water- eyes seeking her reflected ones in the dim light.

"For us?" she blew out a breath and turned to look at his profile. "Jareth?" he turned towards her. "There is no now."

He snapped his eyes shut before she could fully read the emotions within them, and turning, he walked to the end of the bridge, booted feet clicking sharply on the stone. A warm hand touched his shoulder. "Sarah-"

"For being an almighty king, you sure do have a lot of knee-jerk reactions," she chided gently, walking around to face him. "You don't storm away from your subjects during Grievance Day."

"They don't keep rejecting me," he pointed out.

"Hmm. I finally told my stepmother about you- about us. Everything- even the part about wishing Toby away. And do you know what she said?"

Jareth shook his head.

"She said that everybody makes mistakes and that I should give you a second chance. I realized that she's right in a way- it would be extremely cruel for me to punish you forever."

Jareth relaxed a bit feeling a glimmer of hope spark in his chest.

"However, she's not intimately involved in the situation like I am." She stepped closer and trailed her gloved hand over his leather jacket- he was dressed like he had been when they met in the tunnels. I've done a lot of thinking during our time apart. A lot. And despite all the unresolved sexual tension between us," she smirked at him, "I'd like us to try at being friends. Take things slowly- _really_ get to know one another and…" she trailed off leaving the rest to be implied.

"Sarah," he said again but it was softer. "Are you hungry?"

She cocked her head trying to figure out his ploy. "For?"

"Italian food. Yesterday was your birthday. I owe you dinner at least." He offered her his hand.

After a careful minute, she took it and found herself instantly transported to a downtown Italian restaurant. It didn't look like much from the outside- the sign, Luigi's, was faded and cracked along one side, but she knew the food to be good. _Leave it to Him to know my favorite restaurant- never mind knowing when my birthday is. I wonder if he has a birthday?_ She pondered. He even had the foresight to make reservations, and they were quickly seated in a secluded booth in the back.

After receiving their drinks, the waiter scurried off to put their food orders in, leaving them alone.

Jareth scooted along the curve of the faded leather booth so that his side was pressed fully against Sarah's. Taking both of her hands in between his, he gave her a small smile. "I truly am sorry for everything. I- I should have known better."

Sarah squeezed his hands, but instead of saying something along the lines of 'it's okay, or 'I understand,' she said, "you certainly should have. All things considered."

He ducked his head, shamed.

"I know you're not immortal Jareth, but you do have a considerable amount of time to figure things out. We don't- I don't. I probably have what, 90 years tops, as a human? That's why I strive to be a better person today than I was yesterday. Learn from my mistakes- improve myself. Do you understand?"

He toyed with their joined hands. Both ungloved- her skin was so soft and warm. He wondered what the rest of her would feel like underneath his hands. He shook his head, effectively dislodging the thought- _friends. She's offering you friendship, you idiot._ "Yes, I do," he leaned back as their food arrived. Lasagna for him, chicken alfredo for her.

After a few bites, and their hunger slightly sated, he dabbed at his lips with a napkin. "My word that I'll be honest and true this time around. I swear it Sarah," he said with seriousness in his voice, on his face, and in his eyes.

"How can I be sure? How do I know you won't…?" she raised her left hand to demonstrate the bracelet, only to find it missing. He smiled and raised his right, peeling back the sleeve to show this his, too, was gone. She gasped. "They're gone."

"Yes, they dissolved a few days ago." He raised an eyebrow, "You didn't notice?"

"No, I was so used to wearing it that, I guess I didn't give it a second thought." She rubbed her wrist thoughtfully. "You didn't answer my question," she pinned him with a glare before starting in on her dinner again.

"Sarah, in complete honesty- and I know that's what we're both going for- you can't be sure. But, isn't that also a part of human nature? Taking risks?"

It was her turn to raise an eyebrow at him. "True, but are you saying that you've learned ALL about humans in the three weeks we've been apart?"

"Well, it was more like a month for me- time difference," he reminded her at her questioning look. "And I've been trying. I raided libraries and bookshops all over the world, and spent most of my time reading." Sarah swallowed her food quickly intending to reply, but Jareth beat her to it. "Hear me out, please." She grabbed her wine glass and took a sip, letting him continue. "I now have decades of human studies in my head. What a tragedy it would be for it to remain a theory to me, Sarah. I would like to test some of these things and learn their truthfulness with you, as a… friend."

The waiter chose that moment to reappear and whisk their plates away. At the declining of dessert, he left the check on the table with "no rush."

Jareth read the bill and glancing around surreptitiously, formed a crystal which turned into enough cash to cover it and the tip. He then bent to the side and fished around in the empty space beside him. "And, as a friend, I've brought you a birthday gift." He handed her a small rectangular box wrapped in sapphire blue paper.

"Oh, thank you." Sarah took the box and shook it- trying to figure out what was inside.

"Most beings just open it, you know," he pointed out while polishing off his own wine glass.

She glared at him and stuck her tongue out. "I like to draw out the suspense a little." She did open it then. Tearing the paper off and pulling off the lid. Inside, nestled in a bed of white feathers, was a golden scarf. "Oh," she breathed. It was the color of bright buttercups blooming in the spring; its texture was soft- softer and finer than anything she knew would be found in the Above. "It's beautiful. Thank you." She kissed his cheek.

Jareth chuckled, pleased with her reaction. "There's more," he nodded towards the box.

"How could there be more? The box is so slim." She protested.

Jareth eyed her with a look that said, 'nothing is what it seems' and Sarah blushed at her foolishness, but still smiled at him. This is the Jareth she wanted to get to know more of. The side of him she glimpsed at when they secretly met with Toby. Or the Jareth she was with when they went through that awful Collection with Monica and Johnny. Her eyes lost a little of their mirth at that memory. Even though he didn't fully understand humans, he did care for them. Another memory flitted through- chasing the first away. She remembered the morning after- kissing him and realizing that she could love him.

"Sarah?" he grabbed her hand. "Are you okay?"

She gave a little jolt and saw him before her once more. "Yes, just tired, I guess."

"Whenever you're ready," he indicated the door.

"Okay, but first…" she dug around in the box, lifting a smaller one. It didn't seem like it would have fit inside- the larger box was far too narrow, but again with the Labyrinth…. Setting the larger box aside, she opened the smaller one. Inside of it on a bed of red velvet, was her bracelet- only it was brilliantly shiny once more. Tearing her eyes away from it she looked at him- he was nervously chewing on the corner of his bottom lip.

"It's just a bracelet," he said knowing what was going through her mind. "Nothing more. I swear."

"But why?"

Jareth felt relieved. She wasn't yelling at him, or trying to throw something at him. "I liked seeing it on you. It suits you." He took it out of the box demonstrating how nothing had happened to him. "See, no evil spells."

She pursed her lips. "There better not," she warned.

"No, no more tricks- just me (just us)," he held out the bracelet.

Sarah regarded the bracelet and the Fae before her. Then she looked at her wrists, mind made up, she pointedly held out her right one. "I don't want to make the same mistake twice. Improvement."

"Improvement," he agreed as he slid the metal over her hand. After a few seconds it shrunk to the appropriate fit. Scooting to the edge of the booth he stood, offering her his hand. She took it and allowed him to help her into her coat and wrap her scarf securely around her throat.

"Where to now?" he asked taking her hand once more and leading her towards the door.

"I'd like to go home." They walked a short distance to a nearby alleyway, giving them the privacy to transport.

"When will I see you again?" he pulled the edge of the scarf up around her ears to shield them from the cold.

"Soon," she said leaning in for a hug.

"Soon," he echoed. And with a smattering of glitter blowing on the wind, they were no more.

****  
 **Alternate**

Ironically, the three weeks ran out the day after Sarah's 25th birthday. Though, not enjoying herself as much as she should, Sarah made the best of the situation and celebrated with her family the day before, and planned on meeting Jareth at the park, at sunset the following evening.

Sarah woke that Sunday morning feeling contented. She had come to a decision a few days earlier and resolved to stick to it. Now, all she had to do was wait until sunset to act upon it. Scrubbing the sleep out of her eyes, she readied herself for the day. Never noticing that her left wrist was now bare.

At an hour until sunset, Sarah started pacing around her living room- all contentment gone. She detested these kinds of hard talks. The tiny Goblin King figurine standing stoically on her dining room table. Every few paces she glanced at it. At twenty till, she gathered her coat and gloves and headed out on foot. The park wasn't far from where she lived, and while still warm out for mid-August, Sarah knew that once the sun set, it would cool down by the time she made it home.

Their agreed spot was the stone bridge crossing over a narrowed part of the pond. Sarah stared out over the water, watching a pair of swans slowly swim towards her. Usually, such a peaceful scene would wash over her, but her nerves were too tightly wound to fully enjoy it.

She blinked. One minute, she was reflected alone in the water below, the next he was standing beside her. "Jareth," she turned, hugging him warmly. "I missed you," she confessed, breathing him in feeling herself relax a little.

"Sarah," he greeted just as warmly returning her hug. "I've missed you too." He pulled back to gaze at her. "Still just as lovely," he breathed.

Sarah laughed, "yeah, like you haven't been watching," she said sarcastically.

"I haven't," he said seriously. "No matter how much I want to… I think I've learned my lesson about watching you- both awake and asleep."

Sarah was taken aback. She hadn't expected that- it was an improvement. "Oh." Her mind burbled over with _see I told you!_ She observed him with this new knowledge in mind. Jareth looked the same as always though she knew that to any casual bystander, he would seem unassuming and plain. "Walk with me?" she asked.

He offered her his arm, and she settled hers into the crook. They strolled amiably- with no clear destination in mind, just enjoying the atmosphere and each other's company. Catching up on what the other had been doing during their separation, they found themselves once again standing on the bridge looking over the water.

The sun had long ago set and the water reflected themselves bathed in moonlight- stars dotting around them like tiny fireflies. Jareth made the first move. "So, what happens now?" he stared intently upon Sarah's reflection in the water- eyes seeking her reflected ones in the dim light.

"For us?" she blew out a breath and turned to look at his profile. "Jareth?" he turned towards her. "There is no now."

He snapped his eyes shut before she could fully read the emotions within them, and turning, he walked to the end of the bridge, booted feet clicking sharply on the stone. A warm hand touched his shoulder. "Sarah-"

She circled around to face him. "No," she said softly but firmly. "No- no amount of 'I'm sorry' or enticing crystals can make this right. I finally told my stepmother about you- about us. Everything- even the part about wishing Toby away. And do you know what she said?"

Jareth shook his head.

"She said that everybody makes mistakes and that I should give you a second chance. I realized that she's right in a way- it would be extremely cruel for me to punish you forever."

Jareth relaxed a bit feeling a glimmer of hope spark in his chest.

"However, she's not intimately involved in the situation like I am." She stepped closer to trail her gloved hand over his leather jacket- he was dressed like he had been when they met in the tunnels- but stopped herself, dropping her arm to her side at the last moment. I've done a lot of thinking during our time apart. A lot. I've played out every possible scenario I can think of- every what if, and they all end the same Jareth."

She took his hand in hers holding it tightly. It remained limp in her hand. "Relationships are hard enough without adding in near immortal Faeries to the mix. You even told me that you don't truly get to know the woman. You just screw around until some higher king tells you who to marry. That's not the way things work here. There's all sorts of things that factor into a truly healthy relationship, and I don't think you understand that. That you'll ever understand that." She shut her eyes, "or understand me," she glanced up at him.

"Sarah," there was anguish in his voice. "I didn't mean to hurt you. I-"

"I know," she cut him off before he could say anything more. If he said those three words, it would be the death of her. "But it just proves how different we are. And although opposites attract and all that, they rarely work out in the long run."

He pulled his hand away clutching it to his chest as if it was injured. She was breaking his heart again- she knew it. "I'm sorry, but this is the way it has to be," her throat closed around the last word and she felt tears begin to pool in her eyes.

Jareth looked at her and she saw the transformation in his eyes. What was pain and sorrow, slowly iced over until nothing remained but distant coldness- his face taking on that same cool demeanor. "So be it," was all he said before shrinking down into an owl and flying off into the night.

****  
Sarah's life went back to the way it was before. Well, not completely before, she knew Jareth existed and his world was real, she felt the absence of both in her life. And it was a true absence. Over the years after her Run, but before her return, she had seen the odd barn owl in trees, flying around town, and had always secretly wondered if it was him. Which it had been, she knew that now.

Ever since that night in mid-August, the day after her 25th birthday, no more owls seemingly haunted her. She waited, thinking that he was biding his time before approaching her again- with yet another offer or trick.

But he never came.

* * *

Disclaimer: Jareth and Sarah belong to Jim Henson and Co.

AN: The story about Robert hitting motion sensors with a rolled up newspaper. That was based on something that I personally witnessed. Only it was my best friend (who has a master's degree) hitting a light sensor in a storage closet at work. His reply was the same, by the way 'whacking it should fix it.' Yeah, it didn't.

Thoughts, comments, & suggestions are welcome in reviews or PMs.


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